MELISSA – Michael Reddell was the popular Melissa High School band director. Darrell Glenn Whitten was the voice of the band.
Both of the former educators now stand accused of sexual misconduct involving the same 16-year-old student, sending shock waves through the the tiny town of Melissa and the high school's 600-member student body.
"It's just not supposed to be these people, who have been with us so long and have served us so well and have been so successful with the district," school board president George James told News 8. "There's been a lot of pain. There's a lot of tears."
Melissa ISD Superintendent Keith Murphy said Friday that his "heart aches" over Whitten's arrest, as well as the over the arrest of Reddell. Both men have since resigned from the district.
"We have been as open and honest with the public about the events of the last four days as we can be during an ongoing personnel investigation," Murphy said in a statement.
Whitten, 50, is charged with having an improper relationship between an educator and student, indecency with a child through sexual contact, and failing to report child abuse. Reddell, 33, is accused an improper relationship between educator and student, as well as sexual assault.
Both men are now out on bail.
"[Reddell is] very upset about the effect it's had on his family, the band, and the school, and of course, the young lady involved," said Robert Jarvis, Reddell's attorney.
News of their Reddell and Whitten's arrests have stunned this tight-knit close community of 8,000 in northeastern Collin County.
Reddell was the popular, charismatic band director, who had quadrupled membership in the band and made it one of the best in the state, James said. Whitten was a government and economics teacher, as well as the band's announcer.
"In Melissa, we have a saying that 'it's all about the kids,' and that's not just a saying," said James, whose two adult children came through the district. "It's a belief and a mantra, so our first concern is, obviously, with the child — making the child is being taken care of."
According court records obtained by News 8, the school district's police department launched the investigation Tuesday after the district's police chief received a complaint about the allegations.
According to Reddell's arrest affidavit, the girl told police that Reddell had "touched her inappropriately in the band office at Melissa High School." The affidavit says Reddell "admitted that he touched her breast and private parts." The affidavit says he wrote an "apology letter to the student apologizing for the sexual assault."
He was arrested Tuesday after being interviewed by investigators.
"This seems to be an unusual situation, and I'm sure that in the end, we will figure it all out," said Jarvis, Reddell's attorney.
The girl told investigators that Whitten had kissed her on the side of the neck in December 2014 and then again several months later at a band competition. She also told investigators that he rubbed his private parts on her leg during one of the incidents. She told investigators that she told Whitten about the other "teacher's inappropriate behavior" and that she was feeling depressed and having "suicidal thoughts" over it.
She says the told Whitten that if she "were ever to come up missing to call the police or to talk to her friend." Whitten's facing the failure to report child abuse charges for not having told the district or the authorities about it, according to the court records.
Whitten was taken into custody Friday.
With both educators now having resigned, the district is left to try to pick up the pieces for its hurting student body and faculty.
District officials plan to have counselors and pastors on hand Monday when school starts to counsel with students and faculty who need it. He also says the district has been reaching out to the members of the band and offering them counseling.
"We want them to enjoy their high school band experience and not let this be one of the things they most remember about growing up in Melissa," James said.
James also called it a tragedy for the men's families, too.
"We're in the business of educating kids, and we've got to make sure there's no distractions from that," James said. "But the flip side of that is, you just can't ignore that you just had a nuclear bomb go off in your school district."
