Former Substitute Teacher Charged In Sexual Abuse Of Minor

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — A former substitute teacher in Baltimore County Public Schools is no longer employed by the school system, police said, after he was charged in a sex abuse case involving a 9-year-old girl he tutored and babysat.

Scott Thomas McCruden, 31, is charged with sex abuse of a minor, third-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sexual contact and second-degree child abuse of a child in his custody.

McCruden was arrested at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday at his home in the 600 block of Orems Road in Essex, according to police.

Officials said McCruden worked for Baltimore County Public Schools, mostly in the eastern part of the county, as a substitute teacher from September 2017 to June 2018.

Police said the girl's parents hired McCruden to tutor and babysit their child in September 2017, then let him go in May after their daughter started showing signs of distress and anxiety when he was slated to babysit.

Authorities were notified, and police said their investigation showed that he had inappropriate physical and sexual contact with the child. The contact, which happened in both his house and hers as well as in his vehicle when he picked her up from school, ranged from "'disciplinary' pinching to inappropriate touching and pinching of the girl's buttocks," police said in a statement.

Detectives said they do not think McCruden had any inappropriate contact with children while on school property as a substitute teacher but have encouraged parents to speak with their children and notify police if they think there has been this type of behavior.

McCruden is being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center without bail. He has a bail review scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Baltimore County District Court.

Photo of Scott Thomas McCruden courtesy of the Baltimore County Police Department.