Trial reset for former WFISD choir director accused of sex with student
The trial date for a former Wichita Falls High School choir director accused of having sex with a student has been tentatively reset to March 27.
Christopher Glenn Jarvis, 34, of Frisco is charged with improper relationship between an educator and a student in connection with a Dec. 7, 2017, allegation that he had sex with a female student in a choir room closet, court records show.
Jarvis had been set for trial Jan. 23 in 78th District Court, but the date was pushed back to Feb. 6 and subsequently to late March. Jarvis is also scheduled for a pretrial hearing March 24.
In addition, his case was set for a plea hearing Nov. 30, which was canceled, and for another May 31. It was postponed because of a scheduling conflict.
Changing or delaying a trial date or a plea hearing is not unusual in criminal cases as judges, attorneys and defendants juggle obligations and options.
A Wichita County grand jury indicted Jarvis in March 2021 for the second degree felony charge, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
On Nov. 15, 2022, a judge approved Jarvis' indigent application, and he is being represented by Wichita County Assistant Public Defender Gant Grimes, court records show.
On Jan. 20, Grimes received electronic copies from the District Attorney's Office of the former choir teacher's statements.
Jarvis was free Thursday from the Wichita County Law Enforcement Center on a $10,000 bond, according to online jail records.
Jarvis' expired teaching certificate is listed as inactive by the State Board for Educator Certification. Texas Education Agency staff are investigating an allegation of misconduct against him. No formal determination has been made.
Jarvis resigned from WFISD with a final employment date of May 29, 2021, according to the district.
The week before his Sept. 4, 2020, arrest, WFISD officials placed him on paid administrative upon learning of a Texas Rangers investigation, according to district officials. He was put on leave while officials conducted an internal investigation.
WFISD officials declined to disclose information about their internal investigation of Jarvis, citing the confidentiality of employee records.
While with the district, Jarvis earned about $59,753 annually including stipends, according to WFISD.
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Trial date changed for former WFISD choir director
