Misdemeanor charges expunged, former Westerly teacher aims to restore his reputation
WESTERLY, R.I. (WJAR) — It has been a tough year for Edmund Hathaway and his wife, Stephanie.
"We just want to move forward, and we would love the opportunity to clear my name," Edmund Hathaway, a former Westerly teacher, said.
After 17 years in the classroom, the special education teacher was suspended without pay from Westerly High School in April 2023.
After being accused of performance issues, Hathaway sent text messages to his union president and other staffers that police considered harassing and criminal.
Hathaway said he still believes he was the victim.
"I just felt targeted," he said.
He claims the texts were never threatening.
"I made some mistakes, and I own my mistakes and I learn from my mistakes, but they were mistakes, nothing that I would deem would ever find me in a jail cell in my life," Hathaway said.
Hathaway pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanors of cyberstalking and cyber harassment.
He said those misdemeanor charges were dismissed.
Documents provided to NBC 10 News showed that a judge also expunged the charges.
Hathaway's criminal record may be clean, but his wife said his reputation was damaged.
"He's not the person they said he was. They made him out to be a monster and he is not a monster," Stephanie Hathaway said.
Now Edmund Hathaway is hoping to get his career back but finding a new job hasn't been easy.
"I would still like to teach, because I love it. I am good teacher and how do I know that, simply because I care about my students, and I strive to be better each and every day," he said.
NBC 10 News reached out to Westerly's superintendent on Wednesday, but did not hear back.