Teacher charged with sexual assault

Eric Sean Williams of Annandale, a longtime substitute teacher at St. Michael’s Catholic School in Annandale, was arrested on Feb. 27 for multiple counts of sexual assault involving a minor, the Catholic Diocese of Arlington announced.

No known criminal incidents took place on parish or school property, the diocese states. Williams had been a sub since January 2019 and a volunteer since 2016 at St. Michaels. His volunteer activities included coaching students in the Catholic Youth Organization.

The diocese encourages anyone with relevant information about Williams to immediately contact the Fairfax County Police Department at 703-691-2131.

Before being allowed to volunteer, Williams underwent a criminal background check and completed VIRTUS training on the prevention and reporting of abuse, the diocese states. Williams first became VIRTUS compliant in 2016 and had maintained his compliance up to the time of his arrest.

“The Catholic Diocese of Arlington has a zero-tolerance policy for abuse and is fully committed to training our clergy, staff, and volunteers to identify and report suspected instances of abuse,” the organization states. Anyone who works with minors must also undergo background checks every five years.

According to the diocese, its Office of Child Protection and Victim Assistance “works with parish and school staff to ensure training and prevention policies are followed throughout our communities. No one with a credible allegation against them is serving with minors in the diocese.”

The diocese encourages anyone who knows of any abuse or misconduct by a cleric, employee, or volunteer of the diocese to immediately notify civil authorities, as well as to reach out to the diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator at 703-841-2530.