An Alabama high school teacher and girls’ basketball coach is facing a number of criminal charges a month after she tendered her resignation amid an investigation into sexual assault allegations.
A grand jury on Tuesday, April 21, returned an indictment against Paige Parker Adams, charging the married educator with more than 30 sex crimes.
Adams, 35, resigned in late March after allegations about the sexual assaults came to light.
Adams, who had worked for Cold Springs High School, is now charged with single counts of engaging in a sex act or deviant sexual intercourse with a student and sexual contact involving a pupil under 19, plus 30 distributing obscene material to a student counts.
Her departure comes after she led the Cold Springs Eagles girls’ basketball team to the state championships.
She coached only one season, school officials have confirmed.
According to reports, Adams was married when she resigned. Her husband, Drew Adams, coaches the boys’ basketball team at the school.
Soon after she resigned, Drew filed for divorce and is now seeking full custody of their son.
The divorce comes after 15 years of marriage.
Paige was released from jail after posting a $225,000 bond. As a condition of her release, she must wear an electronic monitoring device.
Police have not revealed the age or gender of the accuser.
Us Weekly placed calls to the Adams’ residence and left a message. There was no response from either of them by press time.
“This is the first formal complaint I have received regarding this employee,” reads a statement Cullman County Board of Education Superintendent, Dr. Shane Barnette sent home to parents last month. “As soon as the concern was brought forward, an investigation was immediately initiated. The employee chose to resign at that time. In accordance with standard procedure, all CCBOE materials were returned, and she was escorted from school property. The matter has been referred to the appropriate authorities, and I promptly called a board meeting to approve her resignation. Our sole focus is protecting the students of Cullman County Schools. We are going to do what is right, as we always have.”
Following the resignation, Barnette said, standard procedures were followed to ensure Adams no longer has any access to school property.
Barnette said the school system’s priority remains student safety.
“Our sole focus is protecting the students of Cullman County Schools, and then our employees,” he said.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Read the full article here
