A Mississippi teacher facing sex crimes charges for having an inappropriate relationship with a student allegedly planned to marry the teen, the Biloxi Sun-Herald reports.
James Donald Hawkins II, 38, is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old high schooler multiple times this spring, including in her car in a Walmart parking lot and at his home.
Jackson County Sheriff Captain Kristen Johnson testified in court on Friday during a probable cause hearing that even though Hawkins already has a wife and toddler, he and the teen allegedly planned to marry.
“He said that they had made plans to go to Louisiana to elope, and things were moving faster than they originally expected,” Johnson told the court, according to WLOX-TV.
Hawkins allegedly confessed to having sex with the teen and claimed to not know that was a crime, according to the Sun-Herald. The relationship allegedly began when the teen confided in Hawkins about something that had upset her in school.
“The victim said that it began in the springtime of 2023 before the last school year ended,” Johnson said in court on Friday, Fox News reports. “According to Mr. Hawkins, he admitted they had sex approximately one time a month, including at his house and in her car.”
Hawkins was arrested November 30 and charged with felony sexual battery after the victim and her parents went to police. He could face additional charges.
The court on Friday set bond at $150,000 and ordered Hawkins to have no contact with the student and her family, AL.com reports.
Hawkins worked as a high school physics teacher in the Ocean Springs School District, but he was reportedly fired after being arrested. The school district issued a statement calling the charges “disturbing and intolerable,” according to Fox News.
“OSSD is deeply troubled by the arrest and charges announced today by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department involving one of our teachers,” the school district’s statement reads. “James Hawkins was terminated from OSSD when district officials were informed of his arrest and subsequent charges by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department this evening.”
Ocean Springs is on the gulf coast between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama.
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[Feature Photo: James Donald Hawkins II/Jackson County Sheriff’s Office]
