GREEN RIVER — Sweetwater County School District No. 2 is distancing itself from a former employee who was recently arrested and faces six felony charges related to the alleged abuse of children.
According to a statement from the district, Correy James Simmons is a former employee of the school district and no longer works for it. Court documents related to Simmons’ case identify him as working with the school district at the time of the investigation. The district said its can’t comment further because it involves an active investigation and is committed to cooperating with law enforcement and upholding the safety, dignity, and well-being of its students, staff, and the community.
Simmons is charged with one count of Aggravated Child Abuse and five counts of Child Abuse. The Aggravated Child Abuse charge carries a potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, or both, while each Child Abuse count carries a possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, or both. The maximum penalty he faces is 75 years in prison and $60,000 in fines. Simmons is being held at the Sweetwater County Detention Center on a $150,000 cash or surety bond.
A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 24 at 9 a.m. before Circuit Court Judge John Prokos.
According to court documents, the Rock Springs Police Department responded to a report of child abuse that occurred in Rock Springs and involved a 14-year-old disabled and nonverbal child, an 11-year-old child, and an 8-year-old child. The disabled child spends much of their time in a wheelchair and needs to be strapped in to prevent falling. The child also takes multiple medications to manage seizures and a heart condition.
Court documents state Simmons worked at Harrison Elementary in Green River as a paraprofessional and routinely worked with the disabled child and cared for them at the school.
Simmons had come to the children’s household Sept. 4 to watch the children, but had allegedly gotten drunk and was removed from the home by friends of the children’s mother Sept. 6. The mother was in Utah with a newborn when Simmons was at the home. When the mother returned home Sept. 7, her two younger children alleged Simmons was drinking and “being mean” to them, and had allegedly pulled down his pants and revealed his penis. She also noticed her disabled child was not acting normal and not moving their left arm as they normally do. She took the child to a doctor Sept. 8 and learned the child had a broken left forearm.
She reviewed footage from her security cameras, which allegedly produced several clips of Simmons violently handling, choking, and mocking the disabled child. During an interview with the child’s mother, the disabled child was seen wearing a cast on their left arm. Bruising was also observed, including a large bruise on their throat and another on the back of the left shoulder.
The other children were also interviewed. The 11-year-old child said they didn’t see what Simmons was doing to their older sibling. The child alleged Simmons took them and their older sibling to Green River to pick up something from his house and said the two were left in the van for 3-4 hours. The child also alleged Simmons had grabbed the back of their neck and roughly squeezed after they had been in the bathroom and washed their hands. They ranked the pain at a 9 out of 10 and admitted to crying afterward, saying they did not feel like they could talk or breathe due to how hard Simmons allegedly grabbed their neck.
While being interviewed by police, the 8-year-old said they were outside during the alleged events involving the disabled child. The child alleged Simmons had exposed his penis and was acting mean to everyone.
