Harford County middle school teacher arrested on child sex abuse charges

On June 11, Police in Baltimore County reported that they arrested John David Hobbs, 51, of Fallston, Maryland. Hobbs was taken into custody Wednesday for child sex abuse crimes dating back more than 20 years ago. He was charged with third degree sex offense, child abuse molestation and second-degree rape.

The investigation began after Hobbs, who was a teacher at Bel Air Middle School, was accused of sexually abusing his former student who was a juvenile at the time. The incident occurred multiple times between 1999 and 2000 at Hobbs’ former home in Parkville.

Although Hobbs was a Harford County teacher, he resided in nearby Baltimore County when the child sex abuse allegations occurred. As of yesterday, he was being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center on a no bond status pending a bail review hearing.

The child victim, now an adult, came forward in January to inform police about her sexual abuse at the hands of her former teacher.

According to Fox 45 News in Baltimore, Hobbs has taught in the Harford County School system for the last 22 years. He taught at Bel Air Middle School from 1998 – 2018 before moving on to Patterson Mill High School in 2018 where he taught English.

According to charging documents, the victim says the abuse started in 1999 when she was 14 years old and a student of Hobbs in eighth grade. She says it lasted for a year.
She says she was sexually abused inside Hobbs’ home that he shared with his pregnant wife.
As part of their evidence, police have a recorded call made this past January between the victim and Hobbs where she questioned him about the abuse and what happened and he apologized. ~ Fox News

“The incident in Baltimore County did occur at the suspect’s former home where he lived at the time in Parkville, which is why the investigation led from Harford County to Baltimore County,” said detective Rob Reason with the Baltimore County Police Department.

When the child sex abuse allegations first came to light back in February, Hobbs went on paid leave from the school system. The day following his recent arrest, he went on unpaid leave from Harford County Schools. Hobbs has a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 7.

The Baltimore County Police Crimes Against Children Unit asks anyone who may have been abused by Hobbs to contact detectives by calling 410-307-2020. For more on the story, see the video below.

If you have been the victim of a sexual assault, reach out for help. You can call the police non-emergency line at 410-887-2222 or contact any one of these resources: