Image Credit: Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A Morristown teacher is facing charges of sexual battery by an authority figure.
According to Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office Captain David Cribley, 47-year-old Dennis Cupp allegedly used a ruler “to make unlawful sexual contact” with a student at Morristown-Hamblen High School West.
The incident is said to have occurred on May 21, 2025, when Cupp hit the 16-year-old’s buttocks with the ruler.
Court records state that the victim and several witnesses reported the incident to police. Cupp voluntarily came to the station last week for an interview and confessed to the accusations against him.
Hamblen County Schools Superintendent Arnold Bunch says Cupp was suspended as soon as the district became aware of the allegations. He was removed from the classroom and an internal investigation was started.
Bunch stated, “Once our investigation is completed, I will take any personnel actions needed and make any adjustments necessary that are in the best interests of our students, parents and guardians, and staff.”
Cupp initially started working for the district as a custodian at Morristown-Hamblen High School East in 2020 before becoming a teacher’s assistant in 2021. He moved to Morristown West as a physical science and physics teacher in 2023.
He was released from jail on a $100,000 bond.
