GBI Arrests Pre-K Teacher and Paraprofessional in Child Abuse Investigation in Claxton, GA

The GBI has arrested and charged Tanesha E. Herrington, age 47, of Claxton, Georgia, and Courtney Anne Dutton, age 37, of Glennville, Georgia, following a child abuse investigation at Claxton Elementary School. Herrington has been charged with eight counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree, and Dutton has been charged with one count of Failure to Report Child Abuse.

On Monday, October 13, 2025, the Claxton Police Department (CPD) requested the GBI to assist in a child abuse investigation. The CPD received an anonymous tip that a Pre-K teacher, Tanesha Herrington, had been abusing students in her classroom. Agents obtained video footage from a security camera located inside Herrington’s classroom. The footage depicts Herrington hitting two students repeatedly in the face, grabbing a student by the throat, forcefully lifting students by the arms while they were lying on the floor asleep, slapping a student on the arm and then pushing the student, and throwing a bookbag at a student who was seated on the ground. The videos include incidents from both the current and previous academic years.

Dutton, who served as Herrington’s paraprofessional, is observed on video inside the classroom during several of these incidents and failed to report the conduct as mandated.

Due to the substantial amount of video footage still under review, additional victims may be identified, potentially resulting in further charges.