It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Harnett County teacher arrested was a devil in the shape of a human. 

Denny Dalton, a teacher at the Triton High School in Erwin, was accused of indulging in s*xual activity and taking indecent liberties with students. 

According to court reports, almost all of the victims were minors, but at least five of them were between 13 and 16 years old. 

When faced with the allegations, Dalton didn’t deny any of the claims and resigned from his position immediately. 

Arrest warrants obtained by CBS 17 showed that 43-year-old Denny Dalton was convicted on 44 instances of s*xual activity with a student, 47 indecent liberties with another student, and four counts of indecent liberties with a child. 

The details of the victims have been kept hidden from the general public in order to maintain their privacy. 

Harnett County teacher arrested on the basis of incidents that occurred between January and September 2022. 

Moreover, all of Dalton’s victims were not students at Triton High School. Some victims were children who got caught in the abuser’s trap outside the school premises. 

Before he resigned, Denny Dalton was an assistant soccer coach and a swim teacher at Triton High School. 

As a parent, there is nothing more comforting than knowing that their child is learning to be loved and cared for by their teachers just as much as at home.

But teachers like Dalton taint the respectable profession of teaching, and these incidents raise questions regarding the kind of teachers that schools appoint.

For a teacher to commit such horrendous felonies is undoubtedly mind-boggling and earth-shaking. 

The school officials were informed about Dalton’s misconduct by either the victims or their acquaintances. 

As soon as they were made aware of what was happening behind the school walls, they didn’t waste a second before confronting the abuser disguised as a teacher. 

Denny Dalton’s sleepy conscience finally woke up when he didn’t try to deny the monstrosity he had caused. 

After getting a verbal confession from the accused, the school officials contacted the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office. 

The sheriff’s office said its investigation revealed that most of Dalton’s misconduct occurred during regular school hours. 

Furthermore, a lot of those incidents were reported by the students to the school administration, but it wasn’t until now that they acted upon the complaints. 

Ironically, Dalton’s now taken-off page on the high school’s website stated that he was a member of the school’s Exceptional Children’s Department. 

Another removed webpage showed Dalton’s involvement with the school’s robotics team aside from his work as the swim and soccer coach. 

Harnett County Schools released the following statement Wednesday night: “While we cannot legally disclose all of the information available to the school district, the school district takes matters such as this extremely seriously, conducting thorough investigations and providing reports and information to law enforcement as appropriate.”

The school claims that they conduct thorough background checks on people they hire, and the same was the case with Denny Dalton. 

Sadly, no amount of checks and scrutiny can bring out the criminal that resides in one’s heart or mind. 

Dalton was hired by the school system on August 9, 2021, and resigned on April 26 of this year. He received a $970,000 secure bond.

Mike Adams, a parent whose child studies at Triton High School, told WRAL he’s hurt and frustrated by the allegations.

“It is scary,” Adams said. “It makes me want to pull my kid out and say home school … [or a] different school.”

Let’s hope the Harnett County teacher arrested will get the punishment he deserves.