ASL Prof charged with sexual battery and abduction of a student

William R. Atwell, who is deaf and teaches American Sign Language in Virginia is out on bail and due back in court on Jan. 25.

image: Lynchburg Adult Detention Center

Atwell has worked at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia for the past eight years. He has also taught at Central Virginia Community College and served as pastor at a local church. You can see him preaching in a video for Living Word Deaf Church on Facebook here. He worked at a Baptist church in Beaumont, Texas before moving to Virginia. Liberty University released this statement:

Liberty University takes nothing more seriously than claims that a faculty member has had inappropriate sexual contact with one of our students, something for which there is zero tolerance. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness, care, and concern. With the student’s consent, the university turned the matter over to the appropriate legal authorities and the faculty member in question was arrested. The faculty member has also been suspended by the university pending the outcome of this matter. To protect the integrity of investigation and the privacy of the student, we will limit further comment.

Details about what lead to the charges are not clear.