Former Bradford Middle School teacher, Matthew Dawson Watson, surrendered to authorities early morning on the backdrop of serious allegations. Watson, whose legal troubles began with the issuance of a warrant last Friday, now confronts charges pertaining to the electronic transmission of harmful material and misconduct involving a student, as reported by the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office via their Facebook page.
With details surfacing on social media, Sheriff Gordon Smith detailed the precipitating events: Watson, born June 23, 1998, handed himself over to law enforcement at roughly 6 am; this turn of events follows last week’s official legal action taken against him. The charges reveal a troubling breach of trust: count one, the transmission of sexual conduct over a computer and count two, offense against a student by an authority figure, Watson’s acts, committed in December 2024 while he held a position of power, cast a long shadow over the community.
The situation first came to light when a report reached school officials on February 12, sparking immediate action; the Sheriff’s Facebook update confirms that Watson was placed on administrative leave without delay, and he subsequently resigned from his teaching post prior to his arrest, shunning the duty he owed to his students and their trust he was meant to uphold. The swift administrative response speaks to the gravity of such allegations within educational settings…