Marla Jones, Managing Editor

marla@southerntorch.com

Dalton will serve 6 months in County Jail

FORT PAYNE, Ala.--Former Fort Payne Teacher, Donavan Dalton, 29, entered a plea of guilty to School Employee Having Sexual Contact with a Student Under the Age of 19 years of age on Monday in Circuit Court at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Fort Payne.

On October 9, 2021, Dalton was arrested and tendered his resignation. His resignation was accepted at an emergency meeting of the Fort Payne Board of Education. Due to the fact that Dalton was an employee with the Fort Payne School System and the juvenile victim was within a school system, Dalton was charged with two counts of School Employee Engaging in Sexual Contact With A Student Under The Age of 19 years of age and 2nd Degree Rape.

Dalton, who appeared before Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge Andrew Hairston on Monday for a pre-trial meeting, accepted the plea deal that was presented by the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office. As part of the plea agreement, he was sentenced to an 84-month split sentence to be served with 6 months in the DeKalb County Detention Center followed by 5 years of probation.
Judge Hairston ordered Dalton to be taken into custody immediately following the sentencing. Also under the plea agreement, Dalton will be required to register as a sex offender and will pay a fine of $689.50. Counts 2 and 3 of the indictment were dismissed under the plea agreement.