UPDATE: Arrested Warner Robins Middle School teacher no longer employed by Houston County School District

A Houston County teacher who was arrested last month is no longer employed by the district. 

UPDATE (1/4/24): A Houston County teacher who was arrested last month is no longer employed by the district.

The district confirmed his departure on Thursday in response to a follow-up inquiry from 41NBC.

Here’s the full response:

“We cannot discuss the details of personnel matters; however, we can confirm that Benjamin Reese is no longer an employee of the Houston County School District. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) is authorized to suspend or revoke teaching certifications. When an employee violates the Code of Ethics for Educators, we submit a report to the PSC for their review.”

ORIGINAL STORY (12/14/23):

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A 7th grade social studies teacher at Warner Robins Middle School was arrested last week for terroristic threats and cruelty to children in the 3rd degree.

An incident report from the Houston County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened on December 7, when another teacher overheard 51-year-old Benjamin Reese yelling at a group of three students after one of them told him the Isreali flag hanging in his room offended her.

Witnesses said Reese shouted expletives and threatened to cut off the student’s head.

We reached out to the Houston County School District to see how it’s responding and if Reese had any complaints or threatening behavior in the past.

In response to our inquiry, the district said in part:

“All employees of the Houston County School district are required to follow the code of ethics for educators. If there is a violation, or accusation of a violation, we investigate and respond appropriately. We are not able to discuss specific personnel matters. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our number one priority.”