By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
A police investigation of the Bowling Green Middle School teacher who resigned last month found that he reportedly gave a high school student alcohol at a downtown bar.
Dylan Stark, who was an art teacher at the middle school, has been cited with a first degree misdemeanor for furnishing alcohol to an underage person. He allegedly provided an alcoholic beverage to a 17-year-old BGHS student on the night of Oct. 13, at Vice & Video, a bar at 153 N. Main St., Bowling Green.
Bowling Green Deputy Chief Justin White said the investigation is now concluded.
“There was a lot of speculation and a lot of rumors floating around,” but this is the extent of Stark’s wrongdoing, White said.
Stark, 24, will have to appear in Bowling Green Municipal Court on the charge.
He had been hired by the district in 2017. He also coached football.
The police were first notified of possible criminal misconduct by Stark on Oct. 19, when Superintendent Francis Scruci reported concerns to the police division. The issue was turned over to the BGPD detective bureau.
Over a period of several weeks, multiple witnesses were interviewed, as were Stark and his attorney. A summary of the findings was presented to Bowling Green City Prosecutor Hunter Brown.
On Monday, Nov. 12, Bowling Green Police Division served Stark with the criminal citation.
The school district had also conducted its own internal investigation. Stark, who was on administrative leave, had turned in his resignation to the school district after that investigation was completed, on Oct. 29.
After the school board’s vote to accept Starks’ resignation, Scruci explained district officials had been given information from another teacher who had received information from students about Stark.
At that point, Scruci said the investigation showed “behaviors that we wouldn’t accept in our district.”
After the investigation was underway Scruci sent out an email to parents and staff asking the community to not spread rumors and to wait for the results of the investigation into Stark. Most of the allegations proved to be unfounded, but some were found to be true, Scruci said.
