Former Alabama middle school teacher facing sexual abuse charges, authorities say

HELENA, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) - Law enforcement officials said a former teacher at an Alabama middle school is facing sexual abuse charges.

A victim came forward in December to make a report concerning sexual abuse, according to the Helena Police Department.

Detectives launched an investigation and named a suspect in the case, Richard Bailey Granger, a former teacher at Helena Middle School.

Granger had moved from Helena at the time of the investigation.

The Shelby County School District confirmed Granger was a teacher at Helena Middle School and resigned in July 2021, but authorities say the allegations did not have any relation to his time at the school.

Granger was indicted by a Shelby County grand jury in August on two counts of first-degree sodomy and seven counts of first-degree sexual abuse.

Granger was arrested in Florida by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office on Monday on a fugitive arrest warrant connected to the grand jury indictments in Alabama.

WJHG, WBRC’s sister station in Panama City, Florida, confirmed Granger was employed by Bay District Schools for the 2022-2023 school year but is no longer employed by them.

Bay District Schools released the following statement to WJHG:

“We are aware of the arrest of a former teacher in Alabama on some serious charges and want our community to know that while this person was employed by Bay District Schools for the 2022-2023 school year, he resigned at the end of that school year and is no longer employed by us.”

Granger is currently being held by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office until he is picked up by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

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