61-year-old Oakland County teacher charged with touching elementary students
HIGHLAND TWP, Mich. (FOX 2) - An Oakland County teacher is in custody and now faces criminal sexual conduct charges after being accused of inappropriate contact with students in Highland Township. A civil lawsuit also is in the works.
The suspect, Timothy Allen Daugherty, a 61-year-old resident of White Lake, faces six counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was arraigned Wednesday in district court. The charges stem from a series of incidents alleged to have occurred at a school in Highland Township where Daugherty was contracted.
The first allegations were reported to law enforcement in April 2024, and Daugherty was immediately suspended from work. Allegations against him involve inappropriate sexual contact with minor students.
Amanda Moore's child may have been a victim of Daugherty, who allegedly touched children ages 9 to 11 over their clothes at Spring Mills Elementary School.
"It's a bit of relief knowing my child isn't going to run into him in the middle of the store," Moore said.
Moore has hired attorney Ven Johnson to represent the family in a civil suit, who claims this isn't the first time Daugherty was accused of such an act.
"We know concerns had been shared with the district over the course of the last year if not longer. They knew he was involved in a criminal case back in 2016 when he was being charged with a similar thing. The question is, what's he even doing there?" Johnson said.
That case was dismissed, and Huron Valley Schools confirmed a third-party company contracted him and that he passed a background check.
Parents said they expressed their concerns, but they fell on deaf ears.
"We have spoken out at board meetings to the public and, at every turn, they dismissed us or made it seem like it wasn't important or hardly factual," Tori Spano said.
At least 11 parents of students are planning the civil suit, but Johnson thinks there could be other victims.
"Anyone who has a reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or neglect has an obligation to report it when you are the principal or when you're a social worker, to authorities, which includes child protective services. That was not done," he said.
The district issued a statement saying they immediately removed the teacher from his position.
"The individual was immediately removed from the district upon learning of the allegations. HVS takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and has cooperated fully with law enforcement as they conducted their investigation and will continue to do so."
Daugherty is out on bond with a GPS tether and is due back in court on Sept. 18.
The prosecutor's office urges victims or anyone with information to contact the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Highland Township Substation at 248-887-6240.