A decade ago, I worked at a small Christian school in Maryland. Another teacher, who was a close friend, asked for help investigating students' complaints against a school counselor, Maurice Douglas. Together, we collected data, then reported what we found to the police. There were a dozen students who had been abused, beginning in the fall of 2002. The students who had been abused worst were deeply ashamed and declined to testify, publicly or not. I could not be sure whether there had been any penile penetration. But before the stories got vague, I heard about candle-light and full-body oil massage.
Even with the worst cases excluded, there was enough for a conviction. On May 27, 2003, Mr. Douglas pleaded guilty to second degree assault, and was sentenced to 18 months in jail, all suspended, and was placed on probation.
He violated probation rather promptly. On February 20, 2004, District Court in Rockville ordered seven months incarceration, and sex offender counseling. The judge also ordered that Mr. Douglas register as a sex offender, and as a child sexual offender. The judge further ordered that he have no contact with minor children in any capacity. Maurice served the time. But he appealed parts of the decision, and my understanding is that the Circuit Court reversed parts of the sentence, including the order to register as a sex offender. (For District Court info, see http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/inquiry/inquiry-index.jsp; search for Maurice Lajohn Douglas. Case number: 3D00127053. Circuit Court case number: 99510 C.)
On March 11, 2013, I was alerted by a concerned teacher that Maurice Douglas had announced he was going back into teaching. At that time, his Facebook page (see “Maurice L Douglas” on FB) said: “In the Nation's Capitol now for 8years, have starred in five major musical productions, while still doing my 9-5. Left Education after 10 years, and now working in Hospitality sales( more freedom to get away and perform). You can normally find me at work, home, some rehearsal, or out with friends trying a new resturant or in a new clothing store. GUESS WHAT! I'm back in the world of Education. My parents are celebrating that I'm using the degrees they paid for again. (LOL)”
Maurice Douglas is not required to register as a sex offender registry. Further, he is not on probation any longer. It might be legal for him to teach again. But almost certainly, to get a job with kids, he would have to lie on the application.
I called Child Protective Services in Montgomery County, Maryland, for help. They referred me to the Youth Division, Montgomery County Police. The police took a report, and forwarded it to the DC police, where the offender lives and might be teaching. DC police listened, but concluded that if he is not on a registry and there is no active complaint, they do not have cause to act. They cannot do anything until after the fact – until after a child reports that he has been abused.
The police cannot act until a child reports. Will that be the 10th child? Do we have to wait?
As far as I can tell, I have to find the school or church or choir by myself. I am through with my chase as soon as (1) I understand what Maurice meant when he said that he was back in education, and (2) responsible supervisors at the institutions where he is working assure me that they understand Maurice’s history, and (3) they have a realistic plan to protect any children for whom they are responsible.
Maurice is not a monster. At Montrose, he organized some great shows, and helped many kids experience success. When I was preparing to meet him and ask about his job in teaching, I collected supportive letters from former students to him, and they were wonderful letters. But I do not believe he should be working with kids – certainly not without supervision.
I found him on Facebook and asked to meet. He declined.
I contacted various family members. They did not give me any information, but did give my name and phone number to some of Mr. Douglas’s friends. So I got a call from a man who identified himself as a pastor from Mount Hopewell Church near Charleston, SC. The call was on a restricted line, and the caller declined to identify himself by name. He said he understood Maurice’s history, and that his current work with kids was safe. I asked the pastor for a reference or a way to verify his anonymous story. He said I could call Devon Clay, a detective with a Maryland firm, Clay & Associates, and he gave me Devon’s cell phone number. I could not find Clay & Associates listed anywhere, and could not use that as a reference. He gave me the name of another pastor who knew Maurice: Jamal Little at the United House of Prayer in Newport News, VA. There are several churches in or near Newport News with that name, and Jamal declined to tell me which was his. In any case, Jamal Little is not a pastor at any of them.
Jamal said that Maurice has been doing music in various churches up and down the East Coast, from South Carolina up to DC. He also said that Maurice had gotten a PhD, and was being considered for a position as the superintendent of some school district. I did not try to verify these claims.
The purpose of their calls was to persuade me to relax, to stop asking questions about Maurice. But it seems to me that three of Maurice’s friends are lying for him. They might do that just to get some minor revenge, but it seems far more likely that they are helping him to hide something.
It is possible that his announcement that he is going back into education is just a fantasy. It is also possible that he is an active danger to children, in a school or church that did not check his criminal background carefully enough.
If he is working in your school or church or choir, with kids, and his supervisor is unaware of his history, this is a serious problem. Your children may be in danger. And you may be liable, if you have been a little careless about placing unscreened adults with children under your care.
His Facebook page indicated that he was in the DC area. So I have started looking for him, and for the school or church where he may have contact with minors. There is a Maurice L. Douglas who lives on Alabama Ave in Washington; I have called there, but have not gotten any response, and do not know whether that is the right person.
Is Maurice L. Douglas (born August 8, 1970) in your church or school or choir?
If you know where he is working, or who his pastor is, please contact me. Urgently.
