MARYVILLE, TN (courtesy of WVLT / WOKI) – Former Blount County teacher Joseph Dalton was sentenced to six months of probation after he pleaded guilty to five counts of assault against students in the district.
The Blount County Commission took a unanimous stand against that outcome Thursday night by agreeing to ask state leaders to change the laws to make the punishment more severe moving forward.
“Many, many of us in the community are outraged, we’re disgusted, we’re fearful, and overall I think we just had more faith in the court system to do the right thing,” said a parent in attendance.
This request from the county commission hopes to address the flaws in the system that they feel existed that allowed Dalton’s crimes to take place for years before an arrest was made.
Leaders are also hopeful that moving forward, they can have laws changed to better protect students.
The Blount County Commission discussing two resolutions centered on Joseph Dalton, a former gym teacher who recently skirted jail time after pleading guilty to several charges of assault against elementary school students.
Yesterday (Thursday) the commission passed one resolution unanimously while the other saw some changes before also passing unanimously to move forward to the full commission.
The first resolution simply acts as a formal declaration that the Blount County Commission wasn’t satisfied with the end of Dalton’s trip through the legal system. It would require the mayor send a letter with Dalton’s conviction to the other mayors throughout the state so that he may not be hired in schools elsewhere.
The former gym teacher received complaints of touching students several times over his decades-long career before he pleaded guilty to five counts of simple assault, a Class B misdemeanor. Given the severity of the charges, Dalton was sentenced to six months of probation. He also has the option to apply for the conviction to be removed from his record and still maintains his teaching license.
Many felt Dalton received a “slap-on-the-wrist” punishment”.
The second resolution calls on state lawmakers to create a new, more serious offense for assaulting minors. The resolution also asks for a change in law that requires offenders to automatically lose their licenses after being convicted.
Dalton’s license is flagged for review but is still active.
Thursday’s meeting was a workshop session, meaning it will be officially approved and proposed to state leaders next week.
