MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County Police arrested 42-year-old Peter Wright Priest Mason Wednesday for sexually abusing a female student. At the time of the offenses, Mason was employed as a special education teacher at Colonel Zadok Magruder High School.
Mason has been charged with sexual abuse of a minor and fourth-degree sex offense by a person in a position of authority. Police began investigating reports of a sexual relationship between Mason and a student on Nov. 2 and made the arrest Nov. 20.
A letter was sent to parents on Nov. 4 regarding "allegations of inappropriate conduct" and Mason was put on administrative leave. You can see the letter from the principal of Magruder High School below:
"Dear Parents and Guardians,
"It has been brought to our attention that there are allegations of inappropriate conduct by a Magruder High School teacher with Montgomery County Public Schools (MPCS) student. MCPS is fully cooperating with the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office on this matter and the teacher has been placed on administrative leave while MCPD investigates. MCPS is working with the student's family.
"Pursuant to our memorandum of understanding with these agencies and MCPS policies and regulations, law enforcement has requested that we refrain from sharing details regarding this allegation with the communty to avoid prejudicing the ongoing investigation. We will provide an update to the community when we have additional information. I want to assure you that the safety of our students is our top priority and we work every day to ensure that we maintain a safe learning environment for all."
Mason has been employed with MCPS since 2011. He worked as a paraeducator at Northwest High School from 2011 to 2015.
Police suggest that parents of students who may have had contact with Mason talk to their children about their interactions with him and contact detectives at 240-773-5400 if they believe their child was victimized.
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