Delaware
Delaware certified bogus degree of school counselor charged with raping child
Arnold never ‘attended or earned degree from Ohio University’
After police announced his arrest, WHYY News spoke with three close relatives who said Arnold never lived in Ohio or went to college there, either in person or virtually.
When WHYY News initially asked Lawson last week about Arnold’s possible falsification of his resume, she said the state — not the district — is responsible for verifying academic credentials that allow educators to get salary enhancements.
“The ultimate verifier of doctoral degrees, and master’s degrees … is the Delaware Department of Education,” Lawson said. “We have a letter on file from DDOE that verifies every employee’s graduate credential/licensure in order for that employee to be paid at the doctoral level.”
The state’s searchable public certification website, known as DEEDS (Delaware Educator Data System), shows that Arnold has a master’s degree in psychology and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Ohio University’s main campus in the town of Athens. No doctorate in philosophy is listed.
While waiting for an answer from Ohio University last week about whether Arnold graduated or attended the school, WHYY News asked the Department of Education how officials certified that he had the degrees he had claimed.
A reporter also informed the state that relatives said he never lived in Ohio and the school did not offer advanced psychology degrees online.
Education Secretary Mark Holodick, a former Brandywine superintendent, and other state education officials would not agree to be interviewed about Arnold and his credentials.
But spokesperson Alison May replied in writing that Arnold’s “applications for graduate salary increments were validated by DDOE. Ohio University did offer this doctorate at the time of his attendance.”
May’s email did not explain how the state verified the degrees.
Dan Pittman, Ohio University’s communications director, later confirmed, however, that Arnold never “attended, or earned a degree from, Ohio University at any time.”
WHYY News shared that disclosure by the university with May, who several hours later sent a written statement acknowledging that the salary boost based on Arnold having a doctorate “was approved in error.”
May added that the state was trying to determine how that occurred.
“The department will be investigating how this approval was made and how to improve practices and our systems checks to prevent this kind of error from happening again,” May wrote. “We are alerting law enforcement, who will manage any investigation into potential false documentation.”
May also shared the state’s regulation for approving advanced degrees, and offered a partial explanation of how Arnold was able to exploit the state’s certification system.
The rule specifies that transcripts can be submitted by the university directly to the district, but that the state “in its discretion may also accept verification of an official transcript by other means if the authenticity of the transcript can be made.”
In Arnold’s case, May wrote that he applied for the higher salary when he was hired in October 2021, and “the transcripts used for this graduate salary increment (GSI) approval were submitted by the applicant directly.”
The state issued the approval letter in July 2022, and made his salary boost retroactive to his hiring date nine months earlier.
“The Department of Education recognizes your education level as a Doctorate Degree,” said the approval letter to Arnold and shared with Brandywine. WHYY News obtained the letter under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
Asked for further explanation of how the fake transcripts were approved, May wrote that the state “can answer questions related to its findings once complete.”
Montagne said that in the past, when similar issues arose with an educator’s credentials, there usually weren’t “any repercussions. People are shocked and then nothing happens.”
But in Arnold’s case, where someone who faked advanced degrees has been charged with repeatedly raping a child, those responsible for the “ludicrous” error need to be disciplined and possibly fired, she said.
“Delaware’s a small state, so this wasn’t lost in bureaucracy,” Montagne said. “This is probably one or two people that aren’t doing their job. I don’t understand the reluctance that we have to just move on from people that are incompetent.”
Lawon said the debacle with Arnold’s degrees makes it painfully obvious that it’s time for the state, as well as all 19 Delaware school districts and charter schools, to double down on verifying that job candidates aren’t faking their credentials.
“This circumstance causes us all to look at our processes and procedures,” Lawson said. “After seeing what Ohio University wrote, what can we all do to make sure that this doesn’t happen again?”
Claiming lottery in Delaware
18 states have laws that allow national lottery prize jackpot winners to remain anonymous, but is Delaware among them?
The Delaware Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Wednesday, June 3, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 3 drawing
14-16-38-55-64, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 3 numbers from June 3 drawing
Day: 5-0-5
Night: 5-6-4
Check Play 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 4 numbers from June 3 drawing
Day: 4-8-0-2
Night: 6-7-3-9
Check Play 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Multi-Win Lotto numbers from June 3 drawing
03-07-10-27-28-32
Check Multi-Win Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 3 drawing
02-05-19-22-24, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 04
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 5 numbers from June 3 drawing
Day: 9-0-2-7-1
Night: 4-8-0-0-3
Check Play 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Sign the Ticket: Establish legal ownership by signing the back of your ticket with an ink pen.
- Prizes up to $599: Claim at any Delaware Lottery Retailer, in person at the Delaware Lottery Office, or mail your signed ticket and claim form; print your name/address on the ticket’s back and keep a copy/photo for records. By mail, send original tickets and documentation to: Delaware Lottery, 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102, Dover, DE 19904.
- Prizes up to $2,500: Claim in person at Delaware Lottery Retailer Claim Centers throughout Kent, Sussex and New Castle Counties.
- Prizes of $5,001 or more: Claim in person at the Delaware Lottery Office (business days 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with a photo ID and Social Security card.
- For all prize claims, directions to the Delaware Lottery Office are available online or via mapquest.com for a map.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Delaware Lottery.
Can I claim a jackpot prize anonymously in Delaware?
Fortunately for First State residents, the Delaware Lottery allows winners remain anonymous. Unlike many other states that require a prize be over a certain jackpot, Delawareans can remain anonymous no matter how much, or how little, they win.
How long do I have to claim my prize in Delaware?
Tickets are valid for up to one year past the drawing date for drawing game prizes or within one year of the announced end of sales for Instant Games, according to delottery.com.
When are the Delaware Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Play 3, 4: Daily at 1:58 p.m. and 7:57 p.m., except Sunday afternoon.
- Multi-Win Lotto: 7:57 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: Daily at 10:38 p.m.
- Lotto America: 11:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Delaware Online digital operations manager. You can send feedback using this form.
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Thomas Jefferson University is opening a regional campus of its Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Delaware, an effort that will result in the state’s first medical school.
Jefferson beat out three other bidders to establish the four-year program in partnership with the state. The other bidders were the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico, Spotlight Delaware reported.
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The inaugural class of 40 medical students will begin instruction in July 2028. Initially, the campus will be based at the University of Delaware in Newark, with Jefferson faculty providing instruction. A permanent home for the campus is still being finalized, the Inquirer reported.
The medical students will receive 18 months of preclinical training on campus before receiving clinical training from healthcare providers in Delaware’s southern counties, where the state’s physician shortage is most deeply felt. That shortage is compounded by an aging population, Delaware officials said.
“Jefferson is committed to being part of the solution to Delaware’s physician shortage,” Jefferson CEO Dr. Joseph Cacchione said in a statement. “We are proud to help build a future where every Delawarean has access to the care they deserve. Jefferson is all in.”
The school’s creation is being supported by $157.4 million from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Delaware is one of three states without a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. Since the late 1960s, Jefferson and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine have reserved seats for Delaware students.
“Sidney Kimmel Medical College has trained generations of physicians for more than 200 years, more than any other medical college in the country,” Said Ibrahim, dean of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, said in a statement. “It is a privilege to bring our mission to Delaware’s patients and communities.”
Jefferson has announced several expansions recently. The university is establishing a full-time doctor of nursing practice-nurse anesthesia program and several online graduate programs at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Center for Healthcare Education in Lehigh County. It also is opening a satellite respiratory therapy lab at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown.
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