NORTH CAROLINA
WRAL
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The former head of a Fayetteville private school told a judge on Tuesday that she takes full responsibility for hiring a convicted sex offender to perform work on the campus.
Joan Ellen Dayton, co-founder of Freedom Christian Academy, turned herself in Monday on a felony charge of violating the state’s Sex Offender Registration Act. Authorities said she failed to report, and aided and abetted, Paul Conner, a registered sex offender who worked at the school.
In her appearance Tuesday in Cumberland County Superior Court, Dayton accepted a plea agreement of 11 months of probation, 50 hours of community service to be performed within 180 days and payment of court costs. She also is not allowed on campus during her probation.
If she completes the requirements, the felony charge will be dismissed.
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