Substitute Teacher Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Minor Student, Filming Abuse

Gainesville, Georgia -- A former Georgia substitute teacher is accused of sexually assaulting a female student and filming the assault using his cellphone.

Christopher Brennan Young, 23, was arrested Wednesday and charged with 11 offenses, including two counts of aggravated sexual battery, one count of aggravated sodomy, two counts of aggravated child molestation and six counts of violation of the Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act of 1999, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Young met the victim while he was working as a substitute at East Hall High School in Gainesville, Georgia, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim's age was not specified, but authorities said she is under 16.

Investigators determined that Young had an “illicit relationship” with the student.

Authorities found videos on Young's cellphone that he took while sexually assaulting the victim. The assaults did not occur on school property.

It was not mentioned on the online jail docket if Young has an attorney who can speak on his behalf, the Associated Press reported.

The Hall County School District said in a statement that it was informed of the arrest and confirmed that the person arrested worked as a substitute teacher last year but no longer works in that capacity.

The school district said all substitutes go through criminal background checks before they begin working.

“First and foremost, our hearts go out to the victim and family,” the statement said. “The district stands ready to provide necessary support.”

Young is being held in the Hall County Jail without bond.

In related news, a school that used to operate in Asheville, North Carolina, recently reached a settlement with a former student who alleged sexual abuse by a former school employee in the 1980s.

Attorney Jonathan Shbeeb said Rachel Howald allegedly "experienced inappropriate sexual misconduct by Pamela K. Herrington" when she was a student at the Ben Lippen School during the 1980s, WLOS reported. The school was in Asheville until it moved to South Carolina.

A lawsuit filed in January 2021 alleged that Herrington sexually assaulted Howald multiple times, using her position as a teacher and coach to commit the acts on campus, in school vehicles and at Howald’s home.

“It was a boarding school, and, at that point, she was an off-campus student. But she would stay the night from time to time She played on the sports teams there, went to school there, had a lot of interactions with the students and the perpetrator there,” Shbeeb said of Howald.

Shbeeb said they see the settlement as “a big victory,” though the details of the deal were not disclosed.

Howald’s legal team said it will continue its case against Herrington.