BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A kindergarten teacher in Brownstown Township is accused of intentionally touching a 4-year-old student's "private area," according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
John Guthrie, 40, is charged with criminal sexual conduct second degree. He was arraigned this week and was given a $10,000 personal bond with a GPS tether.
Guthrie had been teaching kindergarten at Wegienka Elementary School. He was suspended when the allegations first surfaced then stopped getting paid when the charges were brought against him.
The 4-year-old's mother was putting her daughter to bed when the girl told her what happened at the school.
"Sometimes at naptime at school her teacher would touch her private parts," said the victim's mother. "The lights are always out whenever this happens. It kind of just shocked me."
The mother said Guthrie is the man who did it.
"I'm just really upset that something like this would happen at school, a place where you hope that your child is safe," said the mother.
Guthrie was suspended on Sept. 30 when the allegations surfaced. He wasn't charged until Oct. 29.
"I just don't understand why a person who has temptations toward those things would be able to put themselves in a position to hurt someone else that way," said the mother.
One parent said Guthrie was "a tremendous teacher."
Fawziyah Haider's grandchild is in kindergarten at the school.
"This is a surprise ... I didn't know. He was very nice," she said.
Police have a video of the girl's statement against Guthrie.
"The good thing about my daughter is she tells the truth about everything," said the mother.
Guthrie still has not had a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to order him to stand trial. He is free on that GPS tether.
The victim's mother said her daughter is doing well.
"She's in counseling now," she said.
The girl is still attending the school but her mother said she plans to move her out of the district to help minimize what she calls a bad memory.