A respected and popular teacher in Airdrie is facing serious allegations of misconduct with a female student in a case that has rocked the community north of Calgary.
35-year-old John Christopher Miller has been charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a 17-year-old student who attends George McDougall High School in Airdrie.
The student cannot be named because she is a minor.
RCMP says they were alerted to the situation when a third party tipped them off and the victim is cooperating with their investigation.
Inspector Tony Hamori says the main concern is how long it took police to be aware of what was going on “My message is with social media, Facebook, Twitter. It’s incumbent on people as soon as they learn of a circumstance like this to have police involved as soon as possible.”
Hamori says Miller has been charged with sexual exploitation because he violated the terms of trust or authority in his role as a teacher.
School officials posted a letter on their website notifying families about the charges.
Many are shocked by the news, but hope that the courts work out the situation and their thoughts are with the staff and students at the school.
Miller has been suspended from his teaching position pending the outcome of the court case.
He was released on bail on Thursday afternoon.
He is expected back in Airdrie Provincial Court on November 8.
