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WCU professor arrested, charged with child abuse
By Lynn Hotaling and Carey Phillips
A local college professor was arrested last week on charges of child abuse.
Paul Henry Jacques, an assistant professor of management and international business at Western Carolina University, was picked up by deputies with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office assisted by members of the WCU police force in a WCU classroom building at around 1:20 p.m. Jan. 18, according to Capt. Steve Lillard of the Sheriff’s Office.
Jacques, 52, who joined the WCU faculty in 2003, is charged with both mental and physical child abuse, according to warrants on file in the Jackson County Clerk of Court office. The victims are Jacques’ daughter and son, who were 11 and 13, respectively, at the time the alleged abuse occurred.
Court papers indicate Jacques hit his son in the face and contributed to the delinquency of a minor by keeping his daughter out of school.
All of the alleged abuse to both children occurred between Aug. 28, 2005, and May 4, 2006, according to the warrants.
Jacques, who listed a Shealea Lane, Sylva, address, faces three counts of felony child abuse, one count of misdemeanor child abuse and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He posted a $10,000 bond and has been released from jail, Lillard said.
The arrest was made on campus because Jacques and his wife, Jane, are separated, and he is no longer living at home, according to Sheriff Jimmy Ashe. Officers asked Jacques to step out of his classroom, and told him what the charges were, Ashe said. The professor then dismissed class and was allowed to meet with a couple of students in his office and close up a few matters before being taken into custody, according to Ashe.
Jacques was previously arrested on April 25 on similar charges, Lillard said. Those charges were dropped and refiled last week, he said.
District Attorney Mike Bonfoey said when the matter initially came to court there was no report from law enforcement. The state asked for a continuance, which was denied.
“We can’t fly blind,” Bonfoey said.
Detective Andi Clayton prepared the warrants that led to Jacques’ arrest last week.
According to Lillard, the initial complaint came from one of the child victims, and a subsequent investigation led authorities to believe that some type of mental abuse had led to problems in the Jacques home.
Jacques is now on paid suspension for 30 days, according to WCU spokesman Bill Studenc.
“He has been placed on investigatory suspension for 30 days, effective Jan. 18. His class will be taught by another professor during the suspension, and students will not lose class time as a result of this action,” Studenc said.
“This is one of those really tragic situations we’re faced with from time to time,” Ashe said.
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