Former Michigan teacher charged with sexually assaulting female students during vision tests – Law Officer

GARDEN CITY, Mich. – A former Michigan teacher is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with attacks that took place during vision examinations, authorities said.

Prosecutors have accused James Adam Baird with blindfolding and molesting four girls between the ages of 10 and 15, three of whom were blindfolded during eye exams when they were sexually assaulted. The alleged crimes occurred from January 2018 to February 2020, according to a news release from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

Baird, 43, was arraigned on all four cases Wednesday. He was released after posting $130,000 total in personal bonds and is required to wear a GPS tracker while on pretrial release. He is also prohibited from having any contact with females under the age of 18 as he awaits trial.

Furthermore, Baird is facing four separate lawsuits from parents of students who claim their children were sexually assaulted by him at their schools, Law&Crime reported.

The civil complaints claim that Baird was a vision mobility specialist who worked with children who had vision impairments. During the school day, he is accused of putting goggles (called occluders) on the victims’ heads that block light, before groping them.

Parents said the school district was aware of the allegations and launched an investigation without notifying them.