A Franklin County High School drama and English teacher has been jailed on charges of having inappropriate sexual contact with a 17-year-old at a Monteagle, Tenn., retreat in August, court records show.
An affidavit states that teacher Robert Thomas Allen Jr., 39, is charged with sexual battery by an authority figure. Mr. Allen admitted to the allegations and told investigators he bought beer and smoked marijuana with the teen in a rented cabin at Grundy County’s Bear Hollow Retreat, court records show.
The two were at the retreat on Aug. 30 to put on a play, records show.
Linda Foster, interim director of Franklin County schools, said this morning that the play was not related to any school activities and the victim does not attend school in Franklin County.
Ms. Foster said she expected to meet with Mr. Allen this morning. She said she would comment on his status with the system later today.
See Saturday’s Times Free Press for complete coverage and check www.timesfreepress.com throughout the day for updates.
Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee and previously covered North Georgia education. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties and later adding Marion, Grundy and other counties in the northern and western edges of the region to his coverage. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School. Benton ...
I believe that there are very important details left out of this contrite article. For instance, who provided the marijuana? Were they alone? I somehow suspect not. These are just a couple of VERY IMPORTANT details that are left out of this story. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT! It should be illegal for the article writer to publish an incomplete story on an issue that extends far further than what is mentioned. Please fix this. I will be calling, emailing, and contacting managers of the station. The people who rely on this website and the channel deserve to get all the facts, not just a few fabricated ones.
All of the charges were dropped on Nov. 20, 2009 and there will be no further sanctions against Mr. Allen as his accuser was not credible and the witness had a significant criminal history.
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