An allegation of sexual misconduct surfaced Thursday against Stockbridge Mayor Jayden Williams involving an 18-year-old high school junior who met the mayor through his interest in a city-sponsored political mentoring program, according to a police report.
A Stockbridge Police Department report, obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, contained sexually explicit text messages allegedly sent between the student and the mayor. The report also said that, according to the student, nude photographs were exchanged between the two.
It was unclear Thursday whether the police confirmed the existence of the photos independently. Williams, in an interview Thursday night, said he and the student “never sent explicit photos towards each other” and that no sexual misconduct occurred, noting the man is an adult.
The report concludes the authorities found no evidence of criminal activity by the mayor but that “the nature of the communications and the mentorship relationship raise ethical and professional concerns regarding the conduct of a sitting elected official with a student participant who only met the official as a result of his interest in the official’s mentorship program.”
Williams’ attorney, Robert Kenner Jr., denied the allegations on behalf of his client and said the student mentioned in the police report was not involved in any mayor-run mentoring program.
Kenner also noted the messages cited in the police report all took place in December, shortly before Williams was sworn in as mayor.
The AJC is not naming the student after considering that he is in high school and the nature of the allegations.
Stockbridge City Councilmember LaKeisha Gantt brought the sexual misconduct allegation to light during testimony in Henry County Superior Court on Thursday, during a hearing at which the mayor’s attorney asked a judge to stop another hearing scheduled for Saturday before the City Council that could result in the mayor’s removal from office.
The judge did not stop Saturday’s hearing from proceeding as scheduled.
Gantt spent more than an hour on the witness stand, defending herself against the mayor’s claim that she was biased against him.
The mayor also asked the judge to prevent Gantt from participating in Saturday’s hearing if it does move forward. She will be allowed to participate.
Williams, the youngest mayor in the city’s history, turned 23 years old on Thursday.
Independent investigator Richard Hyde was hired by the city to look into whether the mayor committed ethical infractions or violations of the city’s code, and is expected to present his findings to the council at Saturday’s hearing.
Hyde told the AJC Thursday that he is investigating the sexual misconduct claim along with “many allegations.” The scope of the investigation includes a review of more than $4,000 the mayor allegedly spent on donations and purchases at restaurants, stores and elsewhere with a city-issued credit card. There is also an allegation of misuse of a city vehicle.
The text messages came to light in a February police report related to a burglary investigation into the student. The report says the student was confronted at school and acknowledged the crime. Police then seized his phone and found the text messages with the mayor, according to the report.
The report said during the police interview, the student texted the mayor and said he had “been caught up in some stuff,” which alerted them to the string.
Police obtained a search warrant for the phone in an attempt to locate evidence of the burglary, the report says.
The student told authorities he and the mayor exchanged nude photos over Instagram and Snapchat, the report adds.
The report says the student had met Williams via Instagram on Nov. 30 when the student responded to a social media post about joining the mayor’s political mentorship program through the city of Stockbridge.
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