Former Keller band director faces 17 sex crime charges involving students, police say
A former Keller school district band director who was arrested last fall and accused of indecency with students has been charged with 17 cases ranging from exposing himself to having sexual contact with students.
Keller police believe the alleged acts committed by Jedidiah Maus had been going on for several years and all the cases involved boys.
The update on the investigation was presented to the Keller City Council on Tuesday night as they recognized Keller Detective Bethany Todd, who is leading the investigation of Maus. He had been band director at Bear Creek Intermediate.
“Detective Todd spent countless hours interviewing witnesses and victims, and corroborating evidence through video surveillance of KISD schools,” Keller Police Chief Brad Fortune said in a statement. “These investigations are difficult to work through and require the upmost professionalism, compassion and empathy. Her skills have brought justice to the many victims and their families.”
A trial for Maus is still pending in Criminal District Court No. 2 in Fort Worth.
Keller police did not release the exact number of alleged victims in the case.
“We may not be able to build a case and charges for some victims due to the availability of evidence, duration of time, age of victim, family dynamics, etc.,” said Keller police Capt. Chad Allen in a Wednesday email. “So we have victims there is not a charge for.”
Maus, 36, of Hurst, was out on bond Wednesday. His attorney, Jeffrey D. Boncek of Fort Worth, could not be reached for comment.
Maus was arrested in October following an investigation that began in September.
Keller police received in early September a report from the Keller school district that Maus exposed himself to a student. Maus separately exposed himself to at least two other students in a school bathroom, police said last fall.
In an arrest warrant affidavit, Keller police described a boy’s account that Maus was on one occasion angled toward a mirror on a bathroom wall at Bear Creek Intermediate. The student said he saw Maus holding his penis in his hand as the band director looked at him in the mirror.
.jpg "Jedidiah Maus (pb).jpg")
One of the students reported to authorities a time when Maus told the boy that he was going to urinate in the sink and told him to watch. Maus told the student that the boy needed to walk further into the restroom, the affidavit states. The boy said that he saw Maus’ penis as the band director urinated in the sink.
At that time, Maus had been accused of exposing himself to three students and faced three indecency charges.
That number is now up to 15 felony charges and 2 misdemeanor charges including:
▪ Indecency with a child, sexual contact, second-degree felony
▪ Improper relationship between educator and student, second-degree felony
▪ Indecency with a child, exposure, third-degree felony (13 counts)
▪ Indecent exposure, class B misdemeanor (2 counts)
Keller police said the investigation remains active and they asked that anyone with information should contact the Keller Police Department at 817-743-4600 or CrimeTips@cityofkeller.com.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 2:57 PM.
