Hayden Meadows teacher accused of child sex crimes
Maureen Dolan Staff Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 years, 8 months AGO
Ronald D. Stone booking photo
COEUR d’ALENE — A fifth-grade teacher at Hayden Meadows Elementary in the Coeur d’Alene School District was arrested and booked into Kootenai County Jail Friday on suspicion of two counts of lewd conduct with a minor and sexual abuse of a child under 16.
Ronald D. Stone, 61, of Wallace, was arrested around 4:30 p.m. and booked into the jail around 8. The jail’s in-custody list on Saturday showed the three charges Stone is facing, along with a $250,000 bond amount next to each charge.
Parents and guardians of Hayden Meadows students received a letter from Coeur d’Alene Superintendent Steven Cook notifying them of the arrest.
“Based on the information provided by the sheriff’s office, the alleged victims do not include students in the Coeur d’Alene School District,” said Cook.
He advised parents the school district has placed Stone on administrative leave until further notice.
Cook said the safety and protection of all students is the school system’s highest priority.
“Our school district denounces any type of behavior by any of our staff members that places any child in harm’s way,” Cook wrote.
He said every teacher must undergo extensive background checks to earn a license, including a criminal record check that requires submission of the employee’s fingerprints for comparison against law enforcement databases. Additional background checks are applied in compliance with school board policy and Idaho statutes.
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