November 21st, 2017 by WCBC Radio
On Monday, 52 year old Gary Herndon Athey II, of Frostburg, was arrested, when he surrendered himself to authorities, after being indicted by the Allegany County Grand Jury and charges with two counts of 4th Degree Sex Offense.
The charges stem from an investigation into allegations, first reported to the Allegany County Department of Social Services-Child Protective Services, that Athey, a teacher at Mountain Ridge High School, had engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with a 16 year old female student. A joint investigation was conducted by Child Protective Services and the Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigative Unit (C3I), with assistance of the Allegany County Board of Education and the Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office.
After learning about the allegations, C3I Investigators conducted numerous interviews. Information gathered during those interviews led to several search warrants that authorized Investigators to search Athey’s residence, as well as several different forms of social media. Investigators recovered evidence from the residence and from communication devices to support the allegations against Athey.
The Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office presented the case to the Grand jury, and Athey, due to his position as a teacher in the school, was indicted on two counts of 4th Degree Sex Offense, for the sexual abuse of a minor student by a person in a position of authority.
Athey is currently being held at the Allegany County Detention Center, pending an initial appearance before a Circuit Court Judge.
WCBC News learned of the investigation on September 7th, and were told that authorities were still gathering evidence and that no arrests had been made at that point.
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