Dalton man charged in theft from storm victim

Published 7:15 am Friday, June 3, 2011

A former substitute teacher on probation in Whitfield County following a sexual charge involving a student was arrested in Bradley County, Tenn., for allegedly stealing a refrigerator from a storm victim, authorities said.

Cameron Mayo, 25, of a Michigan Avenue Road address in Cleveland, Tenn., was charged with theft when Bradley County Sheriff’s deputies found him in a storm-damaged neighborhood and he told them he had sold the refrigerator to a scrap metals dealer, according to a release posted on the sheriff’s office website (www.bradleysheriff.com).

A neighbor provided a description of the truck parked at a Willbrook Circle residence earlier in the day. Mayo had returned to the location and was taken into custody by deputies who were patrolling storm-damaged neighborhoods. The refrigerator was outside the home when it was stolen, according to the release.

Mayo was booked into the Bradley County jail Tuesday and released on bond.

A standout football player at Dalton High School who played center for the University of Tennessee Volunteers in the mid-2000s, Mayo was charged in April of 2009 with sexual assault while substitute teaching at Dalton High. An employee at the school reported “inappropriate conduct” by Mayo with a student, and school administrators contacted police about the “potential sexual offense.”

Mayo’s employment as a substitute teacher was terminated. He pleaded guilty to two lesser misdemeanor counts of obstruction of a law enforcement officer and was sentenced in Whitfield County Superior Court by Judge Jack Partain to 12 months of probation on each count to be served consecutively, a $1,000 fine plus reimbursement of court costs and surcharges, 80 hours of community service and no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16 while on probation.

Mayo’s attorney at the time, Marcus Morris, said it was a “good resolution.”

“The original charge was a serious felony, and he always maintained he was innocent,” Morris said in February 2010. “My investigation also led me to believe he was innocent. First offender status is normally not used for a misdemeanor, and Judge Partain told him this was more like a traffic ticket. That came from the bench. I don’t think Mr. Mayo will have any problems later on, and I think he will be a good citizen and move forward from this.”

A phone number for Mayo could not be found.