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.
17 responses to “Teacher charged with sexual assault”
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So Sad this happened. Saint Michael’s school is excellent, and the Diocese of Arlington is right in asking people to report inappropriate behavior to the police, and offering help to victims.
this is unfortunately not a surprise, this school has been falling apart for a while now. its very sad, my condolences go to the victim(s), i hope they will heal from this traumatic experience imposed on them and seek justice.
When did you last have a child who attended? When did you last volunteer? When did you last attend mass? If the answer to any of those questions were “recently” (within even the past year) then you’re lying because St. Michaels is not falling apart, exactly the opposite. My child was a St, Michaels student for Pre-K through 8th grade and recently graduated. I saw nothing but improvements during our time there, so maybe shut up about things you know nothing about. Using the school as a shortcut through your neighborhood does not give you insight to make such comments.
Except for the kids getting sexually assaulted, the school is great? Yes I understand. Sounds like he lured a student from the school.
jesus christ bro calm down…this news is not a surprise lol i went to st michaels and they have a history of hiring sex offenders
I Said What I Said’s reply was so darn refreshing… I wish more people in our community would stand up for St Michaels. My kid currently attends St Michaels and I only have good things to say about the teachers, staff and community. Like she/he said… Shut up about things you know nothing about (mic drop).
No reported incidents at the church or school. The person just worked/volunteered there.
Yeah, got it no problem. You are delusional and clearly blinded by trying to validate bad decisions you made and somehow justify what you put your child through there. That school and church has a history of issues. There was a time it thrived but that time is NOT now.
“The person just worked/volunteered there.”
What do you mean, just?
That’s the whole reason people are saying we should keep our kids away from the school. They “just” hire child sex offenders, so “just” send your kids elsewhere. Goodness…
this is misleading headline, but I guess people won’t click if it says that a person who subbed/volunteered at the school was arrested for actions not on school grounds
You’re kidding, right? It’s not clickbait.
Someone who assaults a child (regardless of where) has no business working in a school. Do you expect them to sign some magical contract saying they’ll commit heinous acts only after hours and off campus?
Come on, now. Think.
All of you need some perspective. The man has a completely clean background check, or he wouldn’t be there. The Arlington Diocese has a process. The school follows it. All Catholic schools here do. You cannot find something on a background check when someone hasn’t acted or been reported. It appears this was his first reported incident and it did not happen to any of the children at the school nor did it happen on school property if you read the article. You all have sex offenders in your school. You just don’t know it yet. The school is not falling apart, it’s a tightknit community.
“You all have sex offenders in your school. You just don’t know it yet.”
This was certainly my experience attending public and private schools in 6 states. The trend continues it seems, every week in the news, which is why I homeschool my son.
Just because you homeschool your kid doesn’t protect them from predators in your home.
Yes it 100% means just the opposite of what you said.
It is a great school and a wonderful community. It will be unfairly discussed due to its being Catholic, and we are aware of anticatholic sentiment in the media. These things happen, and often in public schools, just check the headlines from Falls Church High school among others.
All that can be done is a good background check, which was completed here, and talk to your children watch them very closely.
I am hearing that St Michael’s has a history of scandals but I cannot find anything about that in the news. Does anyone have any information about that?