Former teacher at St. Michael sentenced for sexual abuse

A former substitute teacher at St. Michael Catholic School in Annandale will serve nearly 13 years in prison for sexually abusing a young child.

Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Oblon sentenced Eric Sean Williams on Nov. 6 to 40 years, with all but 12 years and 11 months suspended, the office of Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano confirmed.

Williams, 52, of Annandale, had pled guilty in April to one count of aggravated sexual battery and two counts of object sexual penetration. He initially faced multiple felony charges, but some of them were dropped by prosecutors.

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He had been a substitute teacher at St. Michael’s since 2019. He served as a volunteer at the school since 2016, where one of his activities included coaching students in the Catholic Youth Organization.

Williams was arrested on Feb. 27, 2025, after a 5-year-old child told her mother that he had touched her inappropriately. The child told detectives that three separate incidents occurred in the basement of Williams’ home.

“The defendant’s abuse has harmed this child and the rest of her family in irreparable ways,” Descano said. The sentence “is appropriate for the gravity of his actions.”