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Shelby County Jail / AP
Daniel Montague Acker Jr., 49, was jailed Wednesday, on sexual abuse charges. Acker taught for years in the Shelby County school system in Alabama, where officials say he is no longer employed.
A former Teacher of the Year at an Alabama elementary school is in jail on charges that he sexually abused one of his fourth-grade students, and police say he confessed to molesting more than 20 others over his 25-year career.
Police in the Birmingham suburb of Alabaster say 49-year-old Daniel Montague Acker Jr. is charged with three counts of sexual abuse and additional charges are possible.
Authorities say a girl came forward last week claiming Acker molested her three years ago, when he was a teacher at Thompson Intermediate School. Acker retired that year but continued working as a substitute bus driver in Shelby County.
Alabaster police say Acker confessed to molesting that student and told them about the other girls.
Acker's lawyer didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.
Acker was a teacher in three Alabaster schools until his retirement in 2009, according to al.com. The latest sex abuse allegation allegedly occured that year, but the student only came to the police last week with that information, according to the website.
Police Chief Curtis Rigney told the website that Acker admitted to the abuse and confessed to other cases. Acker is being held in the Shelby county Jail in lieu of $225,000 bail.
Acker also faced allegations earlier in his career, al.com reported. In 1993, a grand jury reportedly refused to indict him on charges that he sexually molested one of his former fourth-grade students, who was also his neighbor.
At the time of the accusations, Acker was named Teacher of the Year at Creek View Elementary and was a candidate for Shelby County Teacher of the Year, al.com reported.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff.
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