Photo Courtesy of DA Katz
“It shocks the conscience to believe that a person in a professional capacity, charged with a child’s welfare, would exploit his position of authority and trust,” DA Katz said.
By Forum Staff
A teacher at Jamaica Gateway to the Sciences High School has been charged with abusing two female students, 14 and 16, from the school, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Saturday.
Shannon Hall, 31, who lives in Jamaica, was arraigned Friday on two criminal court complaints charging him with forcible touching, two-counts of endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated harassment in the second degree and sexual abuse in the third degree.
According to the charges, Hall was inside his classroom on May 25, 2022, with a 14-year-old female student when he allegedly grabbed and squeezed her breast. In separate incidents occurring on May 24 and 25, 2022, Hall is alleged to have sent inappropriate text messages to a 16-year-old female student, including one that read “I want to be with you,” followed by an apology text the next day, saying that he was drunk.
Photo Courtesy of Google
The defendant is a teacher, and the victims are students, at Jamaica Gateway to the Sciences High School.
According to the charges, while in school on May 25, 2022, Hall allegedly said to the 16-year-old victim that he was jealous of her and a male student, and that she should look out for him the way that he looks out for her. Later that evening, the victim communicated with Hall by text, asking what he meant, and Hall allegedly responded, among other things, that he wanted to kiss her, smoke with her and have sex with her.
After sending those text messages, Hall then allegedly threatened her through a text message, saying if she showed anyone the messages she would be dead.
“As parents, each day we drop our children at school, and entrust their care and custody to teachers, whom we expect to be our surrogates in every regard. It shocks the conscience to believe that a person in a professional capacity, charged with a child’s welfare, would exploit his position of authority and trust, and as alleged, endanger a child’s welfare and engage in aggravated harassment and sexual abuse with students,” Katz said.
If convicted, Hall faces up to one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine on each complaint.
