Suspended Southern Wayne teacher hires attorney, will file civil lawsuit

An attorney for the Southern Wayne High School science teacher who was suspended with pay following an incident that unfolded on the Dudley campus Feb. 16 has released additional details about what Anthony Williams says transpired that evening.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office has, to date, declined to release the complete incident/arrest report and repeated attempts to contact WCSO leaders, including Sheriff Larry Pierce, have gone unanswered. The only information made available to the public was what Williams was charged with — possession of a weapon (not a gun) on a school campus.

Here is Williams’ account of the incident, as released by his attorney, Habekah Cannon:

“On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, Deputy Albert Woods assaulted science teacher and softball coach Anthony Williams during a school basketball game. The deputy believed Mr. Williams was a student in possession of a pocketknife and asked him to hand it over or take it to his car. When Mr. Williams tried to put it away, he informed the deputy that the tool was in his possession because it was used during a science lab. … Instead of the deputy asking Mr. Williams for his teaching credentials, the deputy assaulted Mr. Williams,” the release reads.

Williams was not, according to Cannon, charged with a crime that night. In fact, he was released after students and other Southern Wayne community members informed the deputy that Williams was, in fact, a staff member.

According to Cannon, charges were not filed until two days later — “hours” after, she said, the teacher told Central Office staff “he was assaulted by Deputy Woods.”

In the aftermath of the incident, more than 150 Southern Wayne students staged a walkout on campus Feb. 24. A demonstration is planned for Wednesday at noon outside the Wayne County Public Schools Central Office on Royall Avenue.

Cannon said her firm will not only defend Williams against the charges filed by the Sheriff’s Office, but also intends to file a civil lawsuit in the matter.

“Mr. Williams did not deserve this assault on his person,” Cannon’s release reads. “Mr. Williams has the community’s support as he fights these baseless charges and holds the deputy accountable for the assault. Mr. Williams has been teaching and coaching at Southern Wayne High School since 2008. His students and softball team, both current and former, miss him dearly.”