NORTH CAROLINA
Fayetteville Observer
By Michael Futch Staff writer
Joan Dayton, the former head of Freedom Christian Academy, had not spoken to the media since she and her school fell under scrutiny more than three months ago in a Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigation.
On Tuesday, she talked for the first time publicly about why she allowed a registered sex offender on the school campus in 2011.
“I do want to say this: What I am agreeing to is what I did,” she told Cumberland County Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons during a plea hearing.
Dayton faced Ammons and spoke softly, her back to her family and supporters in the courtroom. Some were weeping.
Her comments came one day after being charged with violating the Sex Offender Registration Act by “failing to report and aiding and abetting the violations committed by Paul Conner of being on school property.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.