Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

JROTC teacher charged with criminal contact with Glouco student

James Merritt had been named "teacher of the year" at Delsea Regional High School in 2017.

James Merritt.
James Merritt.Read moreDelsea Regional School District

A 58-year-old man employed in a Junior Army ROTC program at Delsea Regional High School has been accused of having illegal sexual contact with an 18-year-old student, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday.

Staff Sergeant James Merritt surrendered to the Franklin Township Police Department on Tuesday and was charged with official misconduct and criminal sexual conduct. He was released pending a court appearance scheduled for Aug. 22.

Merritt allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with the student during school hours, including in an ROTC classroom, and afterward and maintained contact with the student with text messages.

Merritt was named the high school’s “teacher of the year” in 2017. A district newsletter said Merritt also was a minister who performed marriages for Delsea graduates.

He has been suspended by the Delsea Regional School District pending the outcome of the case.