Signal Mountain teacher charged in prostitution sting

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

We saw this east of our office in north Springdale.

Posted by NWADG on Wednesday, March 25, 2015

A Hamilton County teacher is one of the 11 people arrested in a prostitution sting last week, school officials say.

Malcolm Henley, a physical education teacher at Signal Mountain Middle High School, was charged with patronizing prostitution during a two-day undercover operation at a hotel near the intersection of Lee Highway and Bonny Oaks.

Attempts to reach Henley Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Signal Mountain Principal Tom McCullough said Henley, 48, has worked at the middle school for more than 20 years.

McCullough said he'd never received any complaints about Henley and had not spoken to him as of Tuesday afternoon.

What happens next is unclear.

"Any issues that are internal in the school, then the principal will spearhead an investigation and look into ways to respond," McCullough said. "But with external issues like this, I would not do anything without direction from Human Resources first."

Officials with the Hamilton County Department of Education Human Resources office said Tuesday that they were not aware of the charges Henley face.

During the sting on July 13-14, investigators targeted suspects who answered advertisements on the Internet for escort services by responding to a hotel and agreeing to exchange money for sexual favors, Chattanooga police said.