A former school contract worker entered a guilty plea Tuesday in connection with the sexual assault of a 12-year-old student at a Montgomery County middle school.
John Epps will not serve any jail time, but will spend five years on probation and cannot have contact with young girls. Under the conditions of the plea agreement, Epps is required to register on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry for 15 years. He also must submit to a sex offender risk assessment and follow through with any recommended treatment.
"I'm hoping that what we've achieved here today is that he is monitored, he is supervised and he stays out of our schools for any kind of foreseeable future," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said.
According to court documents, Epps was working on the security cameras at Baker Middle School in Damascus Oct. 6 when he "reached out with his left hand and made an unsolicited and unwanted touch" to a 12-year-old girl.
One of those security cameras allegedly caught Epps in the act. A teacher also saw it and reported it.
He was later charged with fourth-degree sex offense and second-degree assault.
Many parents were upset after learning that school officials waited weeks before informing them about the assault. Baker Middle School Principal Louise Worthington later apologized for not letting parents know sooner.
Epps had worked in more than 50 Montgomery County public schools. News4 found he was arrested more than four years ago in Anne Arundel County on similar charges.
As a result of the incident involving Epps, Superintendent Joshua Starr released a letter requesting background checks for all contractor employees.
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Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said the school district has worked with the community and law enforcement to find ways to improve policies involving allegations of child abuse and neglect.
"This collaboration has led to a series of 28 recommendations for improving training, background checks, and parents and student education," Tofig told News4 in an email. "We have begun implementing these recommendations and have hired an outside firm to oversee our work in this area."
