TheTandD.com | Band teacher's bond $50K on Orangeburg charges

Band teacher's bond $50K on Orangeburg charges

By RICHARD WALKER, T&D Staff Writer Tuesday, February 09, 2010

An Orangeburg County magistrate set bond at $50,000 on a former Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School band instructor accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student.

On Monday, 36-year-old Michael Miller of 1472 Von Oshen Drive, Orangeburg, was taken before Orangeburg County Magistrate Maree Williamson for his second bond hearing.

Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office investigators charged Miller with two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Williamson set bond at $50,000 surety. Williamson denied a request by defense attorney Jonathan Harvey for a 10 percent option.

The charges are the latest to be levied against Miller, the band director at B-E for the past decade. Miller has since resigned, officials said.

In the city of Bamberg, Miller is charged with two counts each of lewd act on a minor under 16 and second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor in connection with two alleged incidents, one in August and another in December.

A Bamberg County magistrate set bond on Miller Friday at $20,000 surety, but with the 10 percent option Harvey requested.

The Orangeburg warrants allege incidents at a John C. Calhoun Drive location Dec. 10, 2009 and again at Miller’s residence on Dec. 23.

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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20 comment(s)

The following comments are reader submitted. They do not represent the views of The T&D or Lee Enterprises.

bravo14sc wrote on Feb 15, 2010 3:35 PM:

" Taz probably salivated all over the keyboard while typing that post. European Americans? According to most textbooks mankind migrated from africa... so according to that theory; would'nt all Americans be african americans? "

rump wrote on Feb 14, 2010 5:11 PM:

" Most Americans are European-American!!!!!!
I wonder when one poster will start throwing epithets out.
And sweatr you are 100% right! "

sweatr wrote on Feb 13, 2010 11:48 AM:

" Doctor, if you knew his wife you would know she is black, so that sort of blows your theory out of the water. Again this was a cover-up for appearance, not race! "

sweatr wrote on Feb 13, 2010 11:46 AM:

" TAS are you one of those people that blame everything on race? If you would’ve said something about the “good-ole-boy” system, I would have agreed, but no, always something about race. "

sweatr wrote on Feb 13, 2010 11:46 AM:

" TAS, I’m starting to think you like to make things up. You speak about the incident with the drivers as if it was racially motivated, but I personally know some of those drivers were white. "

TAS wrote on Feb 13, 2010 8:40 AM:

" This kind of thing has been happening for a number of years here. Especially here in Sch. District 5 and I just wish we had nabbed some of the old dogs that got away. "

doctor wrote on Feb 13, 2010 4:55 AM:

" Bamberg saw colr on their bond, it might interesting since the wife was an administrator, and if they had any prior complaints, that were swept under the rug "

doctor wrote on Feb 13, 2010 4:50 AM:

" I agree Bamberg saw color on the bond, need to check the wife since she is an Administrator, I am sure they are investigating schools hide unpleasant news, remember 15can get you 20 "

TAS wrote on Feb 12, 2010 7:26 PM:

" sweatr you're absolutely right it had nothing to do with color. However it helped a bunch that he is European-American. I remember that district & county did in those bus drivers a few years back. "

sweatr wrote on Feb 12, 2010 3:10 PM:

" I don’t believe we are judging. When there is a possibility a predator is roaming freely at school, I think the vast majority believe welfare of the children should come before preservation of image. "

cheetah10 wrote on Feb 11, 2010 4:28 PM:

" Mr. Miller is innocent until proven guilty. His students don't know the truth in you don't know it either. So please stop judging. "

citizen23 wrote on Feb 11, 2010 12:48 AM:

" The wife should be sharing the spotlight with her husband due to how she handles situations. She questioned me last year at my job after I had a brief conversation with her husband. "

cleetis wrote on Feb 10, 2010 7:10 AM:

" Triumph110, are you suggesting we should accept or tolerate this behavior just because it’s happening all across the country? "

cleetis wrote on Feb 10, 2010 7:06 AM:

" It’s not the district’s image that Phyllis is concerned about; it’s her image she’s trying to uphold. She should be put on administrative leave and investigated for the way she handled this situation. "

phantom wrote on Feb 9, 2010 11:04 PM:

" This assistant principal is a victim?The second she confronted this child she went from victim to perpetrator.Goes to show you who the school really cares about. "

sweatr wrote on Feb 9, 2010 7:26 PM:

" From the beginning there was an active effort made at cover up. I mean why would a school district get involved in a potential criminal investigation? Why was he not immediately removed pending an investigation? "

sweatr wrote on Feb 9, 2010 7:23 PM:

" This has nothing to do with color. It has to do with who’s who. He has a well off school administrator trying to sweep all this under the rug so the district doesn’t look bad. "

triumph110 wrote on Feb 9, 2010 6:51 PM:

" This is happening all over the country. Go to www.schoolteachernews.com and click on the Scandal page. This year they have already documented over 80 of these types of incidents. "

zebra37 wrote on Feb 9, 2010 6:17 PM:

" It goes to show that orangeburg saw no color but bamberg did cause his bond should have been more than what it was!!!! "

tigger_616 wrote on Feb 9, 2010 1:34 PM:

" Lord poor Mike, He should have known better its not worth it. Orangeburg really put it on him. Just goes to show being a dog has no color boundaries cause a man is a man! "

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Band teacher's bond $50K on Orangeburg charges

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