Lawyer, state lawmaker discuss former Blount County teacher's sentence amid calls to change laws
BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — Parents and leaders have expressed frustration and anger after a former Blount County Schools teacher was given probation after pleading guilty to offensively touching students. In this week's Ask Isaacs, 6 News' Lori Tucker, Attorney Greg Isaacs and Tennessee State Representative Sam McKenzie discuss the Joseph Dalton case.
On April 30, Dalton was sentenced to 6 months of supervised probation with judicial diversion after he pleaded guilty to five counts of misdemeanor assault by physical contact in September 2024. Under the judicial diversion, if Dalton completes the requirements of his probation, which includes undergoing psychosexual evaluation and complying with any resulting recommendations, the case could be expunged from public records.
Fifth Judicial District Attorney General Ryan Desmond's office shared when the sentence was announced that the judge granted Dalton's request for a judicial diversion despite the state's argument against it. Desmond later released a statement going into more detail about the case, including how his office was faced with questions of if they should pursue charges if the evidence did not support a sexual battery charge and knowing how minimal the sentence would be.
Desmond, Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell and other leaders have called for state laws to change, and some residents and parents protested the sentence outside the Blount County Courthouse. A mother of one of the children victimized by Dalton spoke with 6 News, saying that she felt it was important to attend the rally.
'The children have to come first': Parents angered by sentencing of ex-Blount County PE teacher
The charges against Dalton stemmed from incidents at two Blount County schools. Some of the allegations against Dalton accused him of touching students in a 'tickling' manner, hugging students or wrapping his body around them, and in one case, putting a student on the ground and standing above them for an extended amount of time. In Desmond's May 3 statement, he explained that Tennessee laws on sexual battery require contact with the 'intimate parts' of a victim. Desmond wrote that while no videos or evidence showed Dalton having that type of contact with students, his behavior was concerning and fit the criminal offense of 'assault through the 'offensive touching' of another.'
Another interesting aspect of this case involves records 6 News obtained that detail earlier incidents involving Dalton. A report from the Blount County Sheriff's Office explains that the district attorney's office declined to prosecute Dalton in connection to an October 2019 incident 'citing being able to prove sexual gratification and this being a he said she said type of case.' At the time, Mike Flynn was serving as the Fifth Judicial District Attorney General, according to the Blount County Government's website. The records also two other incidents investigated by the sheriff's office that involved allegations against Dalton, with one dating back to August 2005.
On May 2, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Board of Education told 6 News that Dalton's teaching license is still active, and that each case has to be presented in a review committee meeting for a recommendation on a potential license action. The spokesperson also shared that the board will gather all information from the court and conduct any necessary follow-ups before doing so.
If you have a legal question, send it to AskIsaacs@wate.com. To watch full episodes of Ask Isaacs, click here.
WATE's Lori Tucker and Attorney Greg Isaacs answer your legal questions from the WATE Alert Desk on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and on WATE Channel 6 at 5:30 p.m. Ask Isaacs is also streamed live on WATE6+.
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