SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — A Siloam Springs teacher was first arrested for sexual assault on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.
Ethan Wells, 29, was arrested after an allegation of inappropriate activity with a student during the 2021-2022 school year, according to the Siloam Springs School District (SSSD).
The district first received this information on Feb. 17 and says they shared the information with local law enforcement authorities and filed a DHS “hot-line” report.
According to court documents, the mother of the alleged victim came forward first to the school resource officer, who then contacted Siloam Springs Police Department Detective Corporal Ron Coble.
Court documents say that during a recorded interview, the student told investigators he had met Wells during 8th grade when Wells was his choir teacher. The student said they became close friends and started texting each other, with Wells becoming a mentor. The documents also say the student began a relationship with Wells that lasted from April until June 23, 2022.
An affidavit says that the minor student said he would sneak out of class, meet with Wells on school grounds and that they performed oral sex on each other.
On Feb. 17, 2023, Wells was on an overnight trip with students in Little Rock with two other Siloam Springs School District teachers.
While on this trip, and after the allegations, the other teachers separated Wells from the other students until an investigation could be completed.
The affidavit says Wells admitted the sexual relationship to the other teachers on the night of Feb. 17, and that Wells originally agreed to meet with investigators on Feb. 20, for an interview, but canceled via text just before the appointment.
Court documents say that a bench warrant was issued for Wells on Feb. 22 and he was arrested the next day.
He was then released from the Benton County Jail on Saturday, Feb. 25 on a $75,000 bond.
The school conducted an investigation and placed Wells on administrative leave and informed him that the superintendent recommended the immediate termination of the teacher’s contract.
Under Arkansas law, the teacher is entitled to seek a hearing before the District Board of Directors, and the School Board can either accept the recommendation of termination, reject the recommendation, or modify the terms and length of the suspension.
Law enforcement authorities have opened an investigation and informed SSSD that Wells has been charged with sexual assault.
SSSD says they have and will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement and its investigation. They also said that because this is a personnel matter and an ongoing criminal investigation, the district will have no further comment at this time.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.