Thomas Barnhart was arrested Wednesday on five felony and one misdemeanor charges for inappropriately making contact with two 9-year-old females.
Just days after police arrested a teacher at a Wilmington private Catholic school for sending sexual photos to a student, they have arrested another educator from the largest school district in Delaware.
Incidents were initially reported in April in the 2700 block of Skylark Road in Wilmington and detectives from the Criminal Investigation Unit began an investigation.
They found that between November 2021 and July 2023, Barnhart made inappropriate sexual contact with two female victims, both nine-years-old, while they were at his home.
“The well-being and safety of our students and staff are our top priorities,” the district said in a statement Wednesday. “We want to reassure our community that this matter does not involve any students from the Red Clay Consolidated School District. Our dedicated team of educators and staff members remains committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all our students.”
Police say the school district was notified and fully cooperated with the investigation, and that there is currently no evidence suggesting that any students from Red Clay were involved as victims.
The district’s statement confirmed their full cooperation to ensure that all necessary procedures are followed, and said that because this is an ongoing investigation, it cannot provide further details at this time.
Wednesday morning, Barnhart turned himself in at the New Castle County Police headquarters, where he was charged with:
Two felony counts of attempt to commit unlawful sexual contact with a person who is under 13 years old.
One felony count of attempt to commit sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust 2nd degree.
One felony count of unlawful sexual contact with a person who is under 13 years old.
One felony count of sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust 2nd degree.
The Division of Police is concerned that there might be other victims who have not yet come forward. Detectives urge anyone with information about this investigation to contact Detective Matthew Donovan at (302) 395-2781 or email him at [email protected].
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
