JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new audio recording reveals details about the interrogation of a former Duval County Public Schools teacher accused of molesting a high school student.
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Jeffrey Clayton worked at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and has been charged with lewd conduct with a student.
In the recording, police ask Clayton if he thinks the victim is being honest. You can hear Clayton say “no,” but he admits he does “not think [the victim] had a vengeance against him.”
Read: ‘There’s a breach of trust:’ Parents want transparent investigation into misconduct at Duval schools
Clayton worked at Douglas Anderson for two decades and explained to police that he enjoys working with students.
“I mean, I enjoy working with students. I think there’s an encouragement factor to what we do. Confidence runs really low, you know, and doing something that’s personally related. As a singer, that’s who you are,” Clayton told police.
Clayton was arrested back in March, and it led to several students raising concerns about the culture at DA. The school board has since hired a law firm to investigate the situation at the school but has not yet discussed any results. Clayton has pleaded not guilty to all four charges against him.
His next pre-trial hearing is scheduled for a week from today, Aug. 22.
Read: New documents reveal former Douglas Anderson teacher had several complaints prior to recent arrest
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