DeKalb Teacher Accused Of Sex Crimes With Gwinnett Child

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A DeKalb County teacher was recently arrested after being accused of sex crimes with a 14-year-old child, Gwinnett County Police said Tuesday.

Officers were first alerted of a man who possibly had sexual intercourse with the child, police said.

Marcus Knight, 49, of Lawrenceville, was arrested on Sept. 3 after the child's mother found "sexually explicit conversations between her child and an unknown male," police said. The child was not Knight's student, police said.

The mother called 911, and detectives posed as the child to plan a meeting with the suspect, police said. Knight was identified as the suspect who arrived at the meeting and was taken into custody without incident, police said.

Knight was accused of having multiple high-level THC vape cartridges, police said.

He was charged on suspicion of aggravated child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes and obscene internet contact with a child and was taken to the Gwinnett County Jail, police said. He is being held without bond, police said.

DeKalb County Schools staff records showed Knight is a health and physical education teacher at Stone Mountain Middle School.

School officials said in a statement Knight was immediately placed on administrative leave and banned from school campuses. The school district is fully cooperating with police and is conducting its own investigation, school officials said.

"The DeKalb County School District takes allegations of inappropriate or unlawful behavior in any of our schools very seriously and prioritizes the safety and well-being of our students and staff above all else. ... DCSD remains committed to upholding the integrity of the ongoing investigations. Therefore, no additional statements will be released until all investigations have been completed and the district has had time to review the findings," school officials said.