Maryland
Ex-teacher who sexually abused 14-year-old Maryland student to serve fraction of 30-year sentence
A former middle school teacher who repeatedly sexually abused a 14-year-old student in Maryland has been sentenced to three decades in prison, but she’ll only serve one year, a judge ruled.
Melissa Marie Curtis, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of a third-degree sex offense on June 20, according to information from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and District Court of Maryland court papers obtained by USA TODAY on Wednesday.
The Montgomery County Police Department initiated an investigation in early October 2023 when the eighth-grade victim, now an adult, reported he was sexually abused by Curtis who was a teacher at Montgomery Village Middle School, according to a previous news release from the agency.
At the time of the offenses, detectives reported, the student was 14 years old and Curtis was 22.
Judge: Teacher to serve 12 months in jail
Curtis, who is from the town of Upper Marlboro in Prince George’s County, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office told USA TODAY Wednesday.
But Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Theresa Chernosky suspended most of Curtis’ sentence, allowing her to serve 12 months year in jail followed by five years of supervised probation, the spokesperson said.
When she is released, Curtis must register as a sex offender, the spokesperson said, and will not be permitted to have unsupervised contact with minors other than her children.
The prosecutors office did not respond to a request for comment about the sentencing.
Teacher abused 14-year-old in classroom, car, at home
The victim told detectives the abuse began in 2015, the spokesperson said, when he volunteered for an after-school program that Curtis was running and “they were often alone together”
Charging documents show the victim told detectives Curtis sexually abused him in a classroom, in a car, at his home, and as well as Curtis’ home “more than 20 times” when he was in middle school. The complaint goes onto say Curtis also gave the boy drugs and alcohol multiple times.
A warrant for Curtis’s arrest was obtained on Oct. 31, 2023 and Curtis turned herself in on Nov. 7, 2023, officials reported.
At the time, Curtis had been a teacher for about two years in Montgomery County and taught at Lakelands Park Middle School as well.
A spokesperson told Fox 5 Curtis left Montgomery County Public Schools in 2017.
USA TODAY has reached out to Montgomery County Public Schools.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
The Michigan Wolverines remain in must-win mode with two games remaining. The Wolverines barely eked out a win over Northwestern this past week, but Michigan survived and advanced to a new week.
Despite being ranked No. 18 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, if Michigan can get by Maryland this weekend, the Wolverines would be in a position to capture the best win in all of college football this season.
The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will come to town, and in the past four meetings, Michigan has had the Buckeyes’ number. If the Wolverines can go 2-0 in the next two weeks, Michigan is in a great position to re-enter the College Football Playoff after missing it last year.
But first, Michigan has to take care of Maryland. The Wolverines are a double-digit favorite entering the game. And here is how CBS Sports’ panel sees the game going.
Both Chris Hummer and Brad Crawford see Michigan taking care of business in College Park. In fact, both analysts have the Wolverines covering the spread. Both Hummer and Crawford see Michigan’s defense turning up the pressure on freshman Malik Washington and the Wolverines’ defense will get the job done.
Chris Hummer: Michigan 27, Maryland 14
“Mike Locksley is safe in College Park. But that doesn’t make this game with Michigan any easier. The Wolverines are going to run the ball repeatedly against a Maryland defense that ranks 79th nationally in yards allowed per carry. An inefficient Terps run game is also going to run into a wall on the other side of the ball. Expect Michigan DC Wink Martindale to bring pressure against true freshman Malik Washington with regularity — Michigan ranks ninth nationally in blitz rate — as the Terps fall behind the chains.”
Brad Crawford: Michigan 31, Maryland 17
“Have the Terps given up this season? They’re winless since a 4-0 start, but Maryland gave coach Mike Locksley some that the program would make a sizable investment in NIL. That means nothing for Saturday’s game with Michigan, but it offers optimism toward the future in College Park. This is a battle of high-end freshmen quarterback Bryce Underwood and Malik Washington, but the better defense clearly belongs to the Wolverines.”
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BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Federal authorities have arrested a Florida man accused of using TikTok to issue violent threats while he was living in Maryland, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Arsham Rashidi Dizajgan, 27, of Gainesville, Florida, has been charged with six counts of transmitting threats to injure another person across interstate or foreign commerce.
Dizajgan was taken into custody in Gainesville on the same day the indictment was unsealed.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley, FBI – Jacksonville Field Office; Police Chief Amal E. Awad, Anne Arundel County Police Department (AACOPD); and Chief of Police Nelson Moya, Gainesville Police Department (GPD).
Threats to the safety and security of American citizens will not be tolerated, particularly when such threats adopt the language and tactics of violent extremists and foreign terrorist organizations,” Hayes said, via press release. “We will investigate and prosecute such violations to the fullest extent of the law.
According to the indictment, Dizajgan lived in Arnold, Maryland, from September 2024 through March 2025.
During that period, he allegedly used TikTok to post photos and videos of Americans with upside-down red triangles placed over their heads — an image federal prosecutors say is used in Hamas propaganda videos to mark impending targets.
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The indictment states that these posts were accompanied by threatening language.
The FBI takes all threats seriously and will investigate each and every potential threat brought to our attention,” Paul said, via press release. “Swift collaboration between the FBI’s Baltimore and Jacksonville Field Offices, as well as the Anne Arundel County and Gainesville Police Departments, led to this arrest. We continue to encourage the public to report any concerning messages to law enforcement.
Authorities also allege that during the same timeframe, Dizajgan posted additional content condemning Americans and non-Muslims and praising violence against them.
This arrest reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities,” Carley said, via press release. “When an individual uses social media to issue violent threats and signals support for a foreign terrorist organization, the FBI will hold that individual accountable. We take these threats seriously and will move quickly to ensure online rhetoric does not turn into real-world harm.
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If convicted, Dizajgan faces federal penalties for each of the six counts.
The use of an ineligible player has knocked one Maryland high school football team from the postseason and given another new life.
Middletown High School was set to compete in the next round of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association playoffs this coming week after besting Liberty, 51-7.
However, the use of an ineligible player has resulted in the Knights being forced to forfeit the victory, sending Liberty to the next round of the 2A/1A championship bracket.
Frederick News-Post reported the decision after receiving an email from the Middletown school district.
“We recognize that this news is disappointing for our student-athletes, families and community,” the email from Middletown High School read. “Please know that our foremost priority is to uphold the principles of integrity, sportsmanship and full compliance with FCPS and state athletic guidelines.
“It was recently discovered that an ineligible MHS student-athlete inadvertently participated in the game. Upon identifying the issue, the school immediately reported the concern to FCPS.”
From there, the FCPS sent the violation to the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, who made the ultimate decision.
Middletown confirmed they will not file an appeal, as “playoff games are not eligible for appeal” according to the MPSSAA.
For Middletown, they end the season 8-3 overall. They had won three in a row and five of six prior to the official change of the win over Liberty to a forfeit loss.
The Knights had dropped a 17-14 decision at Frederick and a 56-42 contest with Linganore on the road.
Middletown has not had a losing record since 2014, when they went 4-6 overall. Current head coach Andy Baker came on in 2024, going 9-3 overall with two playoff wins before they lost to Patuxent, 42-13.
Liberty posted a 23-21 win in the opening round of the playoffs over Williamsport, as they won three straight down the stretch of the regular season before a loss in the finale to Century, 13-8.
The Lions are in their first year under Marcel Fraser, who replaced veteran head coach Lawrence Luthe.
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