By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Morris County announced that James Wiegand, 43, of Sparta, has been charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child in connection with alleged inappropriate online conversations with a 14-year-old student.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll stated that in November 2024, an administrator at Parsippany High School notified the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office of alleged inappropriate behavior by one of the school’s teachers.
MCPO officials say Wiegand, who was employed as a teacher at the time, is alleged to have sent explicit and suggestive messages to a student using Instagram from September 2024 through November 2024.
Weigand has been subsequently suspended from his teaching position, Parsippany-Troy Hills Police stated.
As a result of the investigation, Morris County officials said Mr. Wiegand was charged on March 13 with one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a crime of the third degree.
Wiegand has been released under pre-trial supervision with the following conditions: pre-trial monitoring level 2, no contact with the victim, and no unsupervised contact with minor children, according to Morris County authorities.
MCPO officials said he has a court date scheduled for April 21, 2025, before the Honorable Robert Hanna, J.S.C.