ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — An Anne Arundel County Public School (AACPS) teacher faces a number charges after allegedly sexually abusing two students.
The teacher, Karl Houston Walls, 27, has been charged with second-degree rape, sexual solicitation of a minor, four counts of a fourth-degree sex offense-person of authority and three counts of second-degree assault, cause to ingest bodily fluids, and perverted practice.
In May of 2023, the Anne Arundel County Police Department became aware of multiple sexual allegations against an AACPS teacher.
During the investigation, police say two students came forward saying Walls had been allegedly sending sexually explicit text messages and photographs/videos.
Walls was a teacher at Northeast High School at the time.
The suspect reportedly solicited child pornography from both victims and allegedly had sexual contact with them.
Some of the acts and comments occurred on school property.
Police say, in one of the incidents off school property, the suspect held a knife against one of the victims and asked if he should "use it."
AACPS was notified upon receipt of the allegations, and they transferred Walls to a position where he had no contact with students pending the outcome of this investigation.
Northeast High sent the following letter to families and staff:
Dear Northeast High Families and Staff: Accompanying this letter is a news release from the Anne Arundel County Police Department detailing charges placed against one of our teachers, Karl Walls. I am writing to let you know of some information related to this case so that you can have accurate information to convey to your students and understand the resources available. It is important for you to understand that Mr. Walls was reassigned from his position as a teacher by our school system in May, when we received the initial allegation. Pending the outcome of the police investigation, Mr. Walls has been in a position in which he has had no contact with children. We have been working with police since the day of the initial allegation and, to the best of our ability, have also been supporting the students in involved this case. Though school is out for the summer, we have resources available to support any students who have been impacted by this matter or who have a need to discuss their feelings. Should your student need these resources, please call the school and we can make those arrangements for you. As you will see below, police are asking anyone with more information about this case or potential other cases to contact the Police Department’s TipLine at 410-222-4700 or the Child Abuse Unit at 410-222-0306. If you have any information to share about this case, I urge you to contact police as soon as possible. Thank you for everything you do for your student and our school
A spokesperson from Anne Arundel County Public Schools also released the following statement:
Anyone who would prey on children has no place anywhere near a school, much less in a classroom. We took action with regard to Mr. Walls as soon as possible to ensure that he was reassigned to a position in which he had no contact with students while this investigation was conducted and we will make decisions on his future employment at the appropriate time as the case proceeds.
