Maxwell appeal denied

Former Atlanta High School educator and coach Taureaus Maxwell, who was found guilty by a Cass County jury of sexual misconduct with male students in August of 2024, had his appeal for a new trial denied last week.

The Sixth District Court of Appeals in Texarkana rejected his appeal although Maxwell argued that the students were lying because if what they were saying was true it was done in front of other students.

The students made the courageous choice to speak up about what happened to them in 2023 and it led to Maxwell being arrested, charged and convicted.

Maxwell was charged with four counts of indecency with a child by contact and four counts of improper relationship between educator and student after he attempted to solicit multiple students using Snapchat.

The case was tried by Cass County Crimi- nal District Attorney, Courtney Shelton, and First Assistant District Attorney, Nick Ross.

The jury deliberated around nine hours on the thirteen charges and they ultimately found him guilty on eight charges.

After almost one hour, the jury handed down the maximum sentence on each charge.

Maxwell was sentenced to 60 years in prison after the jury convicted him of all eight charges and also added a $10,000 fine on each charge.

Fifth District Judge Bill Miller ordered that three of the twenty-year sentences in his Indecency with a Child cases were to run consecutively, meaning that Maxwell could not start serving his second sentence until his first sentence was completed and he could not start serving his third sentence until his second sentence was completed.

Judge Miller also ordered his sentence in his fourth Indecency with a Child case to run concurrently with his third sentence. A person convicted of Indecency with a Child is not eligible for parole until he has served at least one-half of the sentence.

Maxwell’s fourth Improper Relationship between an Educator and Student charges were ordered to run concurrently with each other and with the first Indecency with a child charge.

Shelton had this to say in a released announcement at that time.

“This case would have never been brought to light if it hadn’t been for the persistence of CPS Special Investigator Judie Townsend. We are extremely grateful for her tenacity and courage in stepping up to protect the students of Atlanta High School. We are also thankful to Investigator Sabrina Sartor with the Cass County Sheriff ’s Office for her willingness to step into this investigation late in the process and preserve as much evidence as possible. Additionally, we are appreciative of the Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center for their assistance in this case.”

“They gave these boys the courage to stand up against a true predator, and without them, these boys never would have had a voice,” Shelton added. “We are particularly proud of these boys for coming forward – despite the negative reactions from some in the community. And I am eternally grateful to the Cass County jurors who listened carefully to the facts and evidence presented. They sent a clear message with their verdict that sexual abuse in our schools will NOT be tolerated.”