Court proceedings against one former employee of Fairfax County Public Schools concluded last month, while cases against three others continue.
Falls Church teacher pleads guilty to selling vape cartridges to students
A teacher accused of selling vape cartridges to numerous students at Falls Church High School entered a guilty plea last month.
Kaitlyn Cresent, 28, paid a $500 fine for distributing tobacco to a minor as part of her plea, which was entered on Feb. 10.
Cresent, who worked as a learning disabilities teacher at the school from August 2022 until her arrest in December, told police that she had sold nicotine and THC to multiple students “for a profit of $300-$400 during the school year,” according to court records.
She also allowed students to vape while inside the classroom, court records said.
As part of Cresent’s plea deal, she was levied a 30-day suspended jail sentence that would be served if she violates the terms of a one-year probationary period.
The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney opted not to prosecute a charge for the distribution of a controlled substance on school property. A felony, the offense would’ve carried a possible sentence of up to five years in prison.
Assault case continues against White Oaks teacher
Court proceedings for a teacher accused of assault and battery stemming from multiple incidents at White Oaks Elementary School in Burke remain ongoing.
Elizabeth Yoshimi Nagagata, 62, was arrested in June and charged with seven counts of simple assault during the 2023-24 school year.
Nagagata, who worked as a special education teacher at the school, is believed to have assaulted three different students, according to court records. Allegations include shoving, pulling a chair out from under a student, stomping on a child’s arm and picking up a student and dropping them.
Nagagata is next scheduled to appear in Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on March 21.
Fairview music teacher charged with aggravated sexual battery
A music teacher at Fairview Elementary School in Fairfax Station faces two charges that could carry a penalty of up to 40 years behind bars.
John Barger, who had been employed by the school district since 2017, was arrested Feb. 6 and charged with two counts of aggravated sexual battery.
According to a criminal complaint, two students — one of them 10 years old, the other 11 — told another teacher that Barger had “touched them on the ‘boob.'”
“When asked how many times this has happened, [the victim] disclosed that it has happened twice while playing her music,” the complaint said.
Barger is also accused of looking up a student’s skirt, court records allege.
As of Feb. 10, the 37-year-old has been on house arrest while awaiting trial. No longer employed by FCPS, Barger is next scheduled to appear in court on May 23.
Falls Church gym teacher faces solicitation, production charges
Six different charges have been levied against a health and physical education teacher at Falls Church High School, including four counts of solicitation of a minor.
Richard Berkowitz, 36, also faces two counts of production of child sexual abuse material. He was arrested on Jan. 29, with his employment being suspended since then.
Berkowitz, who was hired by the school district in 2013, was one of seven men arrested last month as part of a Fairfax County Police Department operation to catch adults using online platforms to initiate sexually explicit conversations with minors.
Berkowitz is scheduled to appear in Fairfax County General District Court for a preliminary hearing on May 5, when a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence for the case to be sent to a grand jury.
