Former Assistant Principal Charged With Sex Crimes

DUNN, NC -- A former assistant principal arrested at his Harnett County high school will head to court today to face 24 sex crime charges while assuming a parental role. School officials say Larry Jewell resigned Thursday soon before he was arrested at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School in Dunn.

The 57-year-old was being held at the Harnett County Detention Center in lieu of $2,500,000 bond.

A person can be charged with sex crimes by a person in a parental role if they are a parental figure in the home of a minor victim. But it could also apply to a school administrator who has sex with a student, according to state law.

WRAL-TV in Raleigh reported that a recorded phone message told parents that Jewell was no longer with the school because of concerns about off-campus criminal matters involving minors.

©2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.