Teacher faces sex charges

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A middle school drama teacher in North Carolina once convicted of embezzlement now faces 10 charges of sexual misconduct with a student.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported Monday that 57-year-old Ralph David Surridge was being held on a $2 million bond. School officials say Surridge has worked at Mineral Springs Middle School for seven years. He also faces a weapons charge.

Court records show that Surridge had been convicted of embezzlement in New Hanover County in 1985.

School system spokesman Theo Helm says every school-system employee is subject to criminal background checks. He says someone convicted of embezzlement would be able to work as a teacher but would not be considered for positions that involved handling money.

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