The former director of bands for Melissa High School bonded out of the Collin County Jail Wednesday afternoon, after he was booked on charges of having an improper relationship with a student and sexual assault, according to jail records.
According to a statement from the Melissa Independent School District, 39-year-old Michael Eugene Reddell resigned from his position as band director, citing personal reasons, on Tuesday morning. The district said Wednesday afternoon they didn't learn about Reddell's arrest until later in the day, after he'd resigned as band director.
The district said they then sent out a note to the parents of band students.
Collin County Jail records showed Wednesday morning Reddell was held on two charges, one for having an improper relationship between and educator and a student and another for sexual assault. Both charges are second-degree felonies. His bond was set at $50,000 ($25,000 for each charge).
A document obtained by NBC 5 News outlined the details of Reddell's arrest saying he admitted to touching a female 16-year-old student's bare genitals and breasts in the band office at the high school. Reddell told police after texting with the girl for eight to nine months, the relationship progressed from texting to touching in the spring and summer.
The document said Reddell "wrote an apology letter to the student apologizing for the sexual assault."
The assistant superintendent of the district told NBC 5 the assistant band director, Sheena Meziere James, has taken over Reddell's position as band director and that they were moving forward. After being named Reddell's replacement Tuesday, James sent the following letter to band members and their parents:
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Band Family,
I wanted to reach out to you this evening to inform you of an important change that has occurred within our band staff. For personal reasons, Mr. Reddell stepped down as Director of Bands. I will be stepping into his place for the remainder of the year. I realize this comes as a shock for everyone but please let me be clear. Mr. Reddell loved this program and all of these students very much. I assure you that Mr. Reddell would never just leave on a whim; he felt that it was in the best interests for himself and his family that he be home right now. He has asked that we all please respect his privacy and NOT call or text him during this difficult time.
I understand that many of you will have a lot of questions and I promise that I will do my best to answer them. The band still has directors that will do everything for this program and its students. Myself along with Mr. Pickle, Mr. Good and the other staff will still uphold the traditions and expectations that make the Mighty Melissa Cardinal Band the outstanding program that it is. Thank you.
Sheena Meziere James
Associate Director of Bands
Melissa ISD
Along with Reddell's parents and sister, Shena James [sic] was listed as an approved visitor of Reddell's on his inmate page on the Collin County Jail website.
According to his biography on the Melissa Band website, Reddell grew up in Sherman and is a 1995 graduate of Sherman High School and a 2005 graduate of the University of Texas in Arlington where he received an undergraduate degree in music.
After graduation, Reddell worked as an assistant band director in the Mansfield Independent School District at Cross Timbers Intermediate School and Worley Middle School. He later joined the Whitewright Independent School District before joining the Melissa ISD in 2010 as the director of bands.
NBC 5's Julie Fine and Meredith Yeomans contributed to this report.
