Sweet Home Police arrested Sweet Home High School business teacher Michael Joseph Morrell, 28, on four counts of third-degree sexual abuse Sept. 7.
Sweet Home police began investigating Morrell on Aug. 24 after school officials had learned of allegations of sexual contact between the teacher and a female juvenile and reported them to the police, said Police Chief Bob Burford.
The subsequent investigation revealed that in April, Morrell was the chaperone for a group of approximately 12 Sweet Home students at a scholastic competition in Portland.
A 17-year-old female student from Lebanon also attended the competition with the group, Burford said. The group spent three nights in a Portland motel, and during that time, the Lebanon juvenile allegedly shared the motel room and bed with Morrell for two of the nights, according to police.
The two allegedly had sexual contact in Sweet Home on at least four occasions afterward, Burford said.
Detectives served search warrants for Morrell’s home and work computers, Burford said. Last week, School District 55 placed Morrell on administrative leave. Morrell was lodged at Linn County Jail.
Burford said Morrell was arrested at the police station after he turned himself in. He said detectives had visited the high school campus the previous, in-service, week to interview Morrell.
Sweet Home police are continuing to investigate and speak to past students who may have knowledge of this or other occurrences, Burford said.
The school district allows employees to respond to allegations like this as part of due process under the employment contract, said Supt. Don Schrader, and it will trigger an investigation by the Teachers Standards and Practices Commission, which has the ability pull Morrell’s teaching license.
Morrell was hired in 2008.
A substitute, Kerstin Brosterhous, is filling in as business teacher, Schrader said. She comes with extensive experience and will stay as long as the process takes, district officials said.