Fired Burleson substitute teacher faces sex charge

A substitute teacher with the Burleson school district was fired this week after school officials learned that he faces a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Daniel Drew Sifford Jr., 23, was arrested by Johnson County sheriff’s deputies Wednesday morning at his house, Detective Jay Kniffen said.

Burleson Superintendent Bret Jimerson wrote to parents that Sifford is accused of inappropriate conduct with a minor in Johnson County.

Sifford has not been charged. He remained in the Johnson County Jail on Thursday night with bail set at $200,000.

Kniffen said the assault does not involve a Burleson student, but rather a sibling, who is younger than 14, of one of Sifford’s friends. They all knew each other through community theater participation, he said.

Sifford was a former summer camp counselor at the Burleson Recreation Center, city spokeswoman Sally Ellertson said. But he was “released from that role after five weeks because he was not happy with the program and had difficulty meeting the mandatory training sessions,” Ellertson wrote in an email.

There were no complaints about him while he worked at the center, Ellertson said.

He also ran a musical theater dance camp for students 13 to 18 for eight days in August, she said. Those classes were never one on one and were canceled because there weren’t enough participants, she said.

Sifford was employed as a substitute at Burleson secondary campuses.

“If the allegations are true, they are unconscionable and a breach of the community’s trust. BISD is fully cooperating with the Johnson County District Attorney in this matter,” Jimerson wrote.

Jimerson said all appropriate processes were followed in Sifford’s hiring, which included full state and national background checks and an orientation required by the district’s human resources department.

Sifford was also given a full background check, drug screen, interview and reference check from the city. Public records showed no criminal record for Sifford.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 8:14 PM with the headline "Fired Burleson substitute teacher faces sex charge."