Jury selection to begin in sexual abuse case
Published: Sun, Jul. 27, 2008 10:37AM
Modified Sun, Jul. 27, 2008 10:42AM
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closeDURHAM -- Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of a former Montessori school teacher charged with molesting and taking indecent liberties with students.
Eric Grange, 45, was charged by Chapel Hill police nearly two years ago with five counts of first-degree statutory sexual offense and four counts of taking indecent liberties with a child.
The children, who were 5 to 8 years old when the alleged incidents occurred, were enrolled in the Montessori Community School at 4512 Pope Road, where Grange worked, according to police reports.
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Because the Montessori Community School is in a part of Durham County inside Chapel Hill's town limits, the legal proceedings will be in Durham County courts.
The trial is expected to last four to five weeks, prosecutor Jan Paul told a Durham County judge recently.
Police started investigating Grange in June 2006, more than two months before he was charged. The allegations were reported to school officials, according to police reports.
When confronted by school administrators, Grange resigned and immediately left the school, according to a statement released by the Montessori Community School.
Grange had passed a criminal background check by the state Division of Child Development, according to the statement.
The trial could provide more detail into what happened once school administrators received complaints.
anne.blythe@newsobserver.com or (919) 932-8471
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