GAMBRILLS (MD)
The Baltimore Banner [Baltimore MD]
July 25, 2025
By Darreonna Davis
A pastor and former Christian school teacher was arrested Friday after child sex abuse claims were brought by five students, Anne Arundel County Police said.
What began as an investigation into one sex offense complaint at Elvaton Christian Academy in May has led to the arrest of former teacher William Auburn Jones early Friday morning. Since then, five students have come forward detailing instances of sexual abuse by Jones that happened at the school, Anne Arundel County Police spokesperson Marc Limansky said in an email.
Online court documents show Jones faces 21 charges, including four counts each of child sex abuse and third- and fourth-degree sex offense. He also faces eight counts of second-degree assault and one count of third-degree sex offense of a child younger than 14 years old.
Jones, 58, is being held without bond, and he didn’t have an attorney listed in online court documents at the time of publication.
Anne Arundel County Police said Jones was employed at Elvaton Christian Academy, a coed religious school in Millersville, from 2020-25. The school, which was established in 1995, serves kids from prekindergarten through eighth grade. A representative for the school did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In addition to teaching, police said Jones was a pastor at Jessup Baptist Church and was affiliated with Mission Fields International, a Gambrills-based nonprofit that provides basic needs to people around the world.
The organization seems to regularly partner with New Hope School, a Christian academy in Cambodia. Neither Mission Fields International nor Jessup Baptist Church responded to requests for comment from The Baltimore Banner.