What to Know
- A Long Island choir teacher and Army official allegedly had sex with a teen student in his home, Suffolk County police say
- Mark Kimes was arrested Tuesday night and faces multiple criminal charges
- Kimes, who teaches at Hauppauge High School, is a chief warrant officer in the NY Army National Guard and leads its band
A Long Island choir teacher and decorated band leader in the Army National Guard is facing charges he had sex with a 16-year-old student in his home.
Suffolk County Police said Mark Kimes, 53, of Moriches, was arrested Tuesday night. He faces one count of criminal sex act in the first degree and three counts of endangering the welfare of the child.
Police said an 18-year-old man reported that Kimes allegedly sexually abused him when he was 16 and a student at Hauppauge High School.
"Following an investigation, Seventh Squad detectives determined Kimes had inappropriate contact with the teen while serving as his teacher," police said in a statement. The school, in its own statement, said Kimes has been reassigned to home and ordered not to appear on school property.
In addition to being choir director at the high school, Kimes is a 34-year military veteran who serves as a chief warrant officer in the New York Army National Guard and commander of the 42nd Infantry Division Band. His honors include a Bronze Star and two Army Commendation Medals.
He has led the band in performances all over the world, including in 2005 in Iraq. They were the first reserve band to perform in a war zone since the Korean War, according to Kimes' school district biography.
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In Nov. 2018, the Hauppauge Public School District posted a photo of Kimes in uniform presenting an award to district officials for their support of reservist employees.
Kimes' biography on the district website was taken down after Tuesday morning. He has two children from a previous marriage to a renowned soprano opera singer.
Kimes' biography on the district website was taken down after Tuesday morning. He has children from a previous marriage to a renowned soprano opera singer.
