A former guidance counselor in the El Dorado School District is scheduled to appear today in 35th Judicial District Court on several misdemeanor charges that include furnishing alcohol and tobacco to minors.
Megan B. Wilson, 38, of El Dorado, was arrested Thursday following a lengthy investigation by the school district and the El Dorado Police Department.
Wilson, who was a counselor at Barton Junior High School, was booked into the Union County jail Thursday afternoon on an arrest warrant for knowingly selling alcohol to a minor, first-degree; providing minors with tobacco products; contributing to the delinquency of a minor; and endangering the welfare of a minor, second-degree.
The investigation began over the summer with a tip to the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline, who alerted the EPD.
"We got in touch with the school district, which led to them placing (her) on administrative leave," said Capt. Scott Harwell of the EPD's Criminal Investigative Division.
"It took us a couple of months to sort through a search warrant and all the data we needed to get," said Harwell.
The ESD made similar comments in a statement that was released following Wilson's arrest Thursday:
"There is no greater priority than the health, safety and welfare of our children. To that end, the El Dorado School District cooperated fully with local law enforcement during the course of the investigation. While we are unable to provide details, we can assure you that when the ESD learned of potential misconduct in July 2022, the (counselor) was placed on administrative leave and did not return to work."
Wilson was held overnight in the county jail and was not assigned a bond, per the arrest warrant, which was signed Thursday morning by district court Judge Jack Barker.
She had worked for the ESD for seven years.