A Newton County middle school teacher resigned today, Sept. 3, after he was recently arrested on child molestation and pornography charges related to a juvenile for which he was described as a “mentor.”

Winfred Lewis Akins, 47, of Covington, was being held without bond in the Newton County jail after the Newton County Sheriff’s Office charged him with one count each of Child Molestation and Computer Or Electronic Pornography, both felonies.

Akins was a seventh-grade math teacher at Liberty Middle School. He resigned effective Sept. 3, said Newton County School System spokeswoman Sherri Davis. 

“We are aware that Mr. Akins has been arrested by law enforcement and is now in custody. The Newton County School System is cooperating fully with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office as they conduct their investigation,” Davis said.

A sheriff’s deputy reported being dispatched Aug. 11 to a call about a possible child molestation at a residence in Covington. 

“Upon arriving on scene I met with the complainant and she stated her child received inappropriate messages from her child's mentor,” the deputy reported. 

Sheriff’s detectives and the state Department of Family and Children’s Services were notified, the deputy reported.

An initial report stated the complainant told investigators the incident occurred between Dec. 15 and Dec. 20, 2019. 

He was arrested at his home Aug. 28, according to sheriff’s office records. Detectives seized a Macbook computer and an iPhone as evidence, the report stated.

The incident is still under investigation so no other details were immediately available, said sheriff's office spokeswoman Caitlin Jett.

Akins has worked as a teacher at Liberty Middle since July 2018, Davis said.