An Alabama school guidance counselor has been charged with failing to report a suspect case of sexual misconduct between a student and a teacher at the school at which she worked, prosecutors said.

Carrie Meredith, a guidance counselor at Faith Academy, was charged with failure to report for allegedly failing to report suspected sexual misconduct between a student and a teacher at Faith Academy, the Mobile District Attorney’s Office reported.

During the investigation into former Faith Academy teacher Jonathan Sauers, who was indicted in September 2023 on two counts of having sex with a student, witnesses provided information that Meredith was informed of an inappropriate act made by then-Faith Academy teacher Jonathan Sauers to a student.

This is the first charge of failure to report since District Attorney Keith Blackwood took office in January 2023.

Although this is only a misdemeanor, District Attorney Blackwood considers prosecuting these types of cases a priority as our guidance counselors and teachers are often our first line of defense against predators.

“Ms. Meredith is a mandatory reporter of the State of Alabama,” says Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood. “Under the Alabama statute, Ms. Meredith is required to report these types of allegations that come before her.”

The statute mandates reporting to the Department of Human Resources (DHR) because DHR employees are specially trained to investigate these types of allegations. Also, under the statute, the obligation to report is mandated for both private and public schools.

The bench trial for Carrie Meredith is set for March 5.