Ex-teacher arrested in Columbus, didn’t show for probation hearing after cruelty conviction

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect Crowder’s charges after the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office corrected Crowder’s alleged offenses.

The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a fugitive teacher wanted after failing to appear in court for a case related to prior sex crime charges, according to a Facebook post from Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman.

Jeffrey Crowder, 35, had a felony bench warrant for failure to appear for a court hearing in July related to a 2014 court case in which he was charged with cruelty to children and sexual assault by a teacher, according to court records. Crowder pleaded guilty to cruelty to children in that case and other offenses were no longer prosecuted, according to court records.

He was arrested Tuesday after being located by the MCSO’s Special Operations Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the post.

The post said Crowder was transported to the Muscogee County Jail.

Crowder was awaiting extradition to Bulloch County earlier this week, according to the post.

This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 12:26 PM.