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Freedom Christian founder placed on probation, banned from campus
By Michael Futch
Joan Dayton, the former head of Freedom Christian Academy, had not spoken to the media since she and her school fell under scrutiny more than three months ago in a Cumberland County Sheriff's Office investigation. On Tuesday, she talked for the first time publicly about why she allowed a registered sex offender on the school campus in 2011. "I do want to say this: What I am agreeing to is what I did," she told Cumberland County Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons during a plea hearing. Dayton faced Ammons and spoke softly, her back to her family and supporters in the courtroom. Some were weeping. Her comments came one day after being charged with violating the Sex Offender Registration Act by "failing to report and aiding and abetting the violations committed by Paul Conner of being on school property." "I did it because I really love that family,'' Dayton said. "I wanted to help them. I most certainly did know he was a sex offender, and I felt like he was redeemed. ... That was my error in judgment, and I'm paying for that. But I felt like I needed to - as a role model - you need to admit what you do. And there's a heavy price. And I acknowledge that. I understand it." Dayton pleaded responsibility for failure to report a registered sex offender who was doing work on the Freedom Christian campus. She was sentenced to 11 months of probation and community service and ordered not to be on the school premises for the length of the sentence. Dayton, who with Hall Powers founded the academy in 2008, also must complete 50 hours of community service within the first 180 days, Ammons ruled. If she completes those hours during the initial six months of supervised probation and pays the court costs and service fees, he said, Dayton can be transferred to unsupervised probation over the last five months. Dayton, 64, is not allowed to be involved in the management or teaching at Freedom Christian for the 11-month period. Dayton entered a plea of "responsible." That's an agreement to defer prosecution, while acknowledging that admission can be admitted into evidence at a later date should the terms of the sentence be violated and the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office decides to prosecute her. The District Attorney's Office agreed to drop the felony charge if Dayton complies with the terms of her sentence. "I do think it was fair," said Casi Gilmer, who is a friend of Dayton's and president of the Freedom Christian Parent Teacher Organization. Gilmer was among about 30 Dayton supporters - including parents, teachers, staff, board members and academy graduates - who attended the nearly one-hour hearing. Dayton was arrested Monday on a warrant charging her with violating the Sex Offender Registration Act. Conner did work at Freedom Christian in 2011 while his wife was teaching at the private school on Gillespie Street. The law forbids a registered sex offender to go onto a school campus. Dayton told parents in an email near the end of the 2014-15 school year that Conner had done work on campus after hours. But during his presentation of facts to the court, District Attorney Billy West said there was evidence that Conner was on campus during school hours. "The statute does not require hours of the school day," said West, calling the action a violation of the registry act. Conner was charged May 28 with three counts of violating the sex offender registry guidelines by being on a protected premises, and one count of conspiracy to allow a sex offender on a protected premises, according to arrest warrants. "Your honor, I think what we have here is a lapse in judgment," West said. "However, that lapse in judgment was criminal in nature." Ammons said to Dayton after making his judgment: "You know as well as anybody else how precious our children are. The law is the way it is for a reason. It doesn't allow sex offenders on school campuses at all. Ever. Whether you think they're redeemed or whether it's after school hours, you have to follow the law." "I understand that," she said. Although Dayton and Freedom Christian were both named as co-conspirators in the arrest warrant for Conner, West said his office will not pursue charges against the school. West said no charges will be filed against anyone else at the academy, but the District Attorney's Office will be moving forward with charges against Conner. After the hearing, West said he didn't think his office went easy on Dayton. "You have somebody who never had a speeding ticket as her attorney said," West remarked. "She was charged with a felony. She has to comply with all the conditions of the probation, including community service. To include not being even on the premises of Freedom Christian Academy. Requiring her to admit responsibility to this act of having a sex offender on the premises of her school. "I think for someone who had no prior criminal record, it was a fair adjudication but also one that held her responsible for what she did,'' West said. "I don't think we went light on her in any way. I think we did treat her fairly, given all the circumstances." In a prepared statement issued by the school, Kirsten Brunson, the chairwoman of the Freedom Christian school board, said: "Freedom Christian Academy is pleased that the sheriff and district attorney offices have dropped any further investigation of our school based on Joan Dayton accepting full responsibility for the events that led to the investigation started in May of this year. We feel that this situation is now in the past, and we can move forward focused on the education and spiritual growth of our children. We have had an incredible start to our school year, and our board and administration remain steadfast in our commitment to the safety and education of our children." Freedom Christian, at 3130 Gillespie St., is a private school of about 550 students in grades K-12. Contact: futchm@fayobserver.com
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