Former NC Christian school employee arrested again, faces new charges in sex abuse case
A former Cape Fear Christian Academy employee faces additional charges in a sex abuse case involving athletes at the school.
Tammy Tyner Moran, 45, was arrested on April 26 and is now charged with sexual activity with a student and embezzlement from the school, according to documents obtained by The News & Observer Wednesday from the Harnett County sheriff’s office. On March 19, she was also arrested and charged with three felony charges of sexual activity by a substitute parent/custodian.
The school fired Moran from her job as chief financial officer upon her March arrest, the N&O previously reported. Moran and her husband housed the two out-of-town students at different times at their home in Coats. The two students, athletes at the school, claimed she sexually assaulted them.
Police said they had “digital evidence” of the abuse, The News & Observer previously reported.
At the time of her initial arrest, the attorneys for the victims, referred to as John Doe #1 and John Doe #2, told The News & Observer they were confident Moran had abused more students and encouraged those victims to come forward.
John Doe is a pseudonym used for the victims, who were minors at the time of the alleged incidents. The News & Observer generally does not identify victims of sexual assault or abuse.
Mother claims school didn’t keep students safe
John Doe #2 allegedly was abused during the 2020-21 school year. His claims resulted in Moran’s original charges in March.
The latest charges pertain to her alleged abuse of John Doe #1, who lived with Moran in 2019.
The victims’ attorneys Coleman Cowan and Bakari Sellers said the mother of John Doe #1 had reported the abuse to school officials but Moran was allowed to continue hosting students as boarders.
In light of that happening, Joe Doe #1’s mother on Wednesday again criticized school officials for not keeping students safe.
“The people in charge of Cape Fear Christian Academy knew this woman was a predator,” the mother said in a statement provided to The News & Observer by the attorneys. “I told them and they ignored me. They were supposed to protect these students. They were supposed to protect my son. Instead, they ignored him. We can’t let this ever happen again.”
Following her second arrest last week, Moran was released on an unsecured bond during a hearing before a Harnett County magistrate.
Sellars and Cowan praised Harnett County law enforcement for continuing to pursue new cases.
“The Harnett County Sheriff’s office should be applauded for their diligence and resolve in this ongoing investigation,” the lawyers said in a statement to The News & Observer. “These new charges involve a sexual assault by Tammy Moran which leaders at Cape Fear Christian Academy were warned about more than a year ago. These student-athletes and their families did everything they could to raise the alarm with school officials so what happened to them would not happen to others.”
Coleman works for Durham-based James Scott Farrin and Sellers is from The Strom Law Firm in South Carolina.
Moran’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 25.
This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 4:25 PM.