Two teachers at a Christian prep school were arrested within the space of a few days on charges of sexually abusing the same student, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Bonnie Brown, 25, was arrested on March 19, and charged with improper sexual contact with a minor. On March 23, Sherri Maudlin, 60, was also taken into custody on charges of improper sexual contact by an employee, aggravated child molestation and statutory rape.
Investigators say Brown and Maudlin’s crimes took place while they taught at Nathaneal Greene Academy in Siloam, Georgia, around 80 miles east of Atlanta. The K3-12 school in question has just 85 students enrolled. According to its Facebook page, the school “nurtures individuality, diversity, and morality in an academic environment.”
The Independent has learned that both suspects are also graduates of the school. Brown was part of the class of 2017, and Maudlin graduated in 1983. In her junior year, Brown was voted as the school’s homecoming queen.
Neither teacher was working at the school at the time of their arrests, reports Atlanta News First. Until recently, Brown taught at Washington-Wilkes Primary School in neighboring Wilkes County. She has now been terminated. The investigation into the pair began in June 2024 after GBI officers received reports of sexual abuse at Nathaneal Greene.
Ashley Mitchell, a lawyer for the victim, told WXIA that the alleged abuse took place at the school’s campus and elsewhere.
In a statement to WXIA, the victim, through his lawyer, accused the pair of taking “advantage of their positions as my teachers.”
“My school did not protect me as a child. I see that now, and I hope that these arrests will protect our community and children in it.”
Mitchell went on to say that she has “information to suggest” that other teachers were involved with “other victims.”
“Students who are being groomed by teachers are in a very difficult situation. It’s not until they’re removed from the situation and have the opportunity to process what happened that they feel comfortable speaking out. I think there is somewhat of a double standard between high school victims who are underage who are being groomed by females as opposed to men,” Mitchell added.
The two suspects are friends on Facebook. According to her LinkedIn page, Brown graduated from Kennesaw State University. While on her Facebook page, Maudlin regularly posts about her Christian faith.
The suspects have been booked into Greene County Sheriff’s Office jail. Brown’s bond has been set at $50,000.
“NGA’s administration and Board of Trustees are cooperating with law enforcement and assisting them in every possible way. Nathanael Greene Academy is committed to the safety, welfare, and education of all of its students – past, present, and future,” the school said in a statement to McClatchy News.
The school was founded in 1969 as a segregation academy with no Black students or faculty. A 2018 study found that there were three Black students at the school despite it being located in a county where the population is 40 percent Black.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Greene County Sheriff’s Office at 706-453-3351 or the GBI regional investigative office in Milledgeville at 478-445-4173. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
When authorities complete the investigation, a case file will be handed to the Ocmulgee District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
The Independent contacted the Nathanael Greene Academy for comment.
