Fairfax County Teacher Accused Of 1990s Alleged Sexual Assault

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — A Fairfax County Public Schools teacher was charged in connection with a sexual assault of a student in the 1994-1995 period.

Detectives in the Crimes Bureau Child Abuse Squad said they recently learned of the alleged sexual contact with a student more than two decades ago. Police arrested Marc Damon Cheatham, 51, of Woodbridge on Wednesday and charged him with two counts of forcible sodomy (victim under 12), aggravated sexual assault (victim under 13), and producing obscene materials involving a minor. He was being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

At the time of the alleged assaults, Cheatham taught at Barden Elementary School in Fort Belvoir from 1993 to 1998, officials said. He is currently a sixth grade history and social studies teacher at Holmes Middle School.

Cheatham has been with FCPS for 29 years. He has also taught at Mount Eagle Elementary School (1992 to 1993), Fort Belvoir Elementary School (1998 to 2000), Groveton Elementary School (2000 to 2004), Lorton Station Elementary School (2004 to 2006), Terra Centre Elementary School (2006 to 2010), Newington Forest Elementary School (2010 to 2017) and Holmes Middle School (since 2017).

Holmes Middle School Principal Margaret Barnes notified families of the teacher's arrest in a letter. FCPS is cooperating with police, and Cheatham is on unpaid administrative leave. Counselors are available to students and families if needed.

"The primary responsibility for FCPS is always the safety and well-being of our students," Barnes wrote. "We will continue to be diligent in our efforts to provide a safe learning environment and we commit to swift action any time we are made aware of a potential violation of the trust between our students and staff."