Local man charged for sexual misconduct with student

The Demopolis Police Department arrested James D. Robertson, 52, Wednesday on charges of “school employee having sexual contact with student” and “school employee distributing obscene material to a student.”

“This person is an independent contractor who, over the years, has been paid to work special events at the high school,” Demopolis City Schools Superintendent Kyle Kallhoff said.

The DPD said via press release late Friday night that Robertson was considered an adult volunteer and meets the definition of a School employee as defined in the Alabama Code of Criminal Law Section 13A-6-80(a).

Robertson, who is alleged to have transmitted obscene material to a student via cell phone, has provided contract services to the school system in multiple areas for a number of years but has never been a regular employee of the school system.

“When school officials were notified of the potential misconduct, they immediately notified authorities and severed all ties based on the allegations,” Kallhoff said.

Robertson was processed and later transported to the Marengo County Detention Center to await a bond hearing. He faces six couts of a School Employee Distributing Obscene Material to a Student and cout of School Employee Having Sexual Contact with a Student. The DPD also indicated that the investigation is ongoing and further charges could be pending.

While Robertson’s case is now a legal matter, Kallhoff said school system leadership is continuing to assess all of its protocols in order to provide safety to its students.

“It is our job to ensure all of our students are safe while at school and involved in school activities,” Kallhoff said. “The board is revisiting our policies to guarantee any volunteer or contract workers have a clean background check.”