Oct. 27 – A 28-year-old man was arrested Friday on charges of criminal assault after a Conway school employee began investigating reports that he provided alcoholic beverages “to a large number of high school students,” police said. said.
Malcolm Badger of Bartlett turned himself in to police after they applied for an arrest warrant on an assault charge, according to a news release.
Conway Police Department School Resource Officer Cory Brandon began an investigation into Badger after information from several juveniles reporting that he was providing alcohol to Kennett High School students.
Police Chief Chris Mattei thanked Brandon and school staff for their “coherent and rapid response” on the matter.
“We are very proud of the relationship the department has with SAU9 and it has once again proven to be extremely important in keeping the students in our community safe,” he said in a statement.
Bartlett and Jackson police assisted in the investigation.
The arrest was made possible “thanks to a number of courageous students who sought out trusted adults at the high school to share information,” SAU9 Superintendent Aimee Frechette wrote in a letter to parents.
“As a school community, the safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority,” the letter said. “In light of this information, I encourage all parents and guardians to have open, honest conversations with their children about any information they have that may be relevant to the investigation.”
Frechette asked families to contact police directly and monitor their children’s use of social media and cell phones.
“We understand that these types of situations can be very concerning and affect students emotionally, whether they were directly involved or not,” the superintendent wrote. “Our role in this matter is to ensure that all students have access to all the resources they need during this time.”
According to the letter, the district is fully cooperating with local police.
Badger worked as an independent contractor for Badger Peabody & Smith as a licensed real estate agent, according to a statement from the company.
“That relationship has ended. We are deeply disturbed by the nature of the allegations and our thoughts go out to the people and families affected,” the statement read. “We understand this is an ongoing police investigation so we do not believe it is appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Badger is being held at the Carroll County House of Corrections and is expected to be arraigned on the charges Monday.
Conway police expect more charges to be filed.
