Former Northview High School Teacher Found Not Guilty On Sex Charges
By: Ken Curtis
Updated: November 7, 2012
A Houston County jury has found a former Northview High School teacher not guilty on charges he illegally had sex with a student.
Calvin Bell-Tharpe, 31, was acquitted Tuesday after the seven-man, five-woman jury heard testimony during a portion of two days.
Bell-Tharpe was arrested in June, 2011 on charges he engaged in off-campus sexual activity with the 16-year old pupil. The incidents were reported to have happened in November, 2010
An internal investigation conducted by the Dothan school system, according to previous testimony, failed to reveal illegal activity on the part of the teacher.
Bell-Tharpe was charged under an Alabama law that makes it a crime to engage in sexual activity with a student even if the pupil has reached the age of consent, which is 16.
