Warwick High School assistant principal arrested on charges of sex crimes against child
An assistant principal at Warwick High School in Newport News has been arrested and accused of multiple sex crimes against a child.
Jason M. Taylor, 45, was indicted by a grand jury in Chesapeake on Tuesday and arrested Wednesday, court records show.
The 13-count indictment charges Taylor with six counts of sodomy, six counts of indecent liberties with a child and one count of rape. The crimes are suspected to have occurred between 2015 and 2017, the records show. The charging documents listed one possible victim and said Taylor had a “custodial relationship” with the girl. A custodial relationship is generally defined as a relationship in which an adult is in a position of caring for a child, such as a relative, babysitter or teacher. Court records do not provide any further information.
Taylor is being held without bond in the Chesapeake City Jail, said Janelle Scott, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. He was in court Thursday for an arraignment, Scott said. His next court date is set for Nov. 10.
Taylor has been at Warwick High School since September 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. District officials said he has been suspended, in accordance with state code. They noted the charges stem from allegations before he was employed by Newport News schools.
Newport News officials said Taylor was employed at Chesapeake schools before he was hired at their district. A Chesapeake Public Schools spokesperson was not immediately able to confirm Thursday the school where Taylor was employed or time period. But a school band webpage listed Jason M. Taylor as a band director at Western Branch High School in Chesapeake in 2017.
Taylor has a degree in music, according to his LinkedIn account. His Twitter account bio line states that he was also a music educator, a U.S. Naval Officer Explosive Ordnance and Disposal technician and a Navy deep sea diver.
No attorney was listed for Taylor in court records. The records stated that he lives in Suffolk and has no prior criminal record.
