West Milton Police are revealing more information on the investigation into a Milton-Union Local Schools custodian accused of sexually assaulting a student.
Jerry North, 59, was charged Wednesday with two counts of rape, two counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of intimidation, according to Miami County Municipal Court records.
Police Chief Doyle Wright told Mike Campbell Friday that this investigation started after police got a call from the victim’s mother.
“She had just learned of the information herself, so she called us and made a report,” Wright said.
Court records accuse North of sexually assaulting a child between the age of 6 and 9 between the years of 2018 and 2021. Police confirmed Thursday that the alleged assaults took place after school hours on school property.
While court records indicated the alleged gross sexual imposition incidents happened in a community park, Wright clarified that the park is “not involved in this whatsoever.”
“There [was] more that one instance that it occurred,” Wright said Friday.
North, who was hired in June 2017, was a custodian at the elementary school at the time of the alleged assaults but had since been moved to a different part of the building to work with a different grade level.
New video obtained by News showed the moment police took North into custody. In the video, he was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts and would not put on more clothes.
“You’re going to be under arrest,” an officer said in the video.
“For what?” North asked.
In the video, North asked someone else on the property to call his lawyer while officers read him his rights.
After North’s arrest, police are wondering if there are more victims out there.
“Oftentimes you’ll find with victims, especially young victims of crime, they don’t always divulge until later,” Wright said. “And we’re wondering if there’s others that may be out there. And if there is, we would encourage them to contact us.”
Wright also noted that investigations like these are “extremely sensitive” and that the community is very upset about it.
“We’re investigating it to the fullest. We’re spending our time with it. We want to make sure that no stone’s left unturned,” he said.
Press also spoke with Milton-Union parents who called the accusations “sick” and “just not right.”
“Being a victim of sexual abuse myself, I find it extremely horrible,” one mother said. “The child is probably traumatized and I feel bad for the family.”
North remains booked in the Miami County Jail on a $800,000 bond. The district placed him on unpaid administrative leave after learning of the accusations.