Georgia Baptist college places president on leave during sexual abuse probe

CLEVELAND, Ga. - A northeast Georgia Baptist college has placed its president on leave while it investigates whether he ignored claims that a former administrator was abusing students.

Trustees at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland announced last week that they had placed Emil Caner on leave and had hired an investigator to examine claims that a former administrator and professor sexually assaulted a woman. The woman, who was a student and later a university employee, claims she was assaulted when she went to the administrator’s home for Bible study. 

What we know:

Southern Baptists have faced allegations that hundreds of church leaders and workers have abused people over the years and that the denomination hasn’t done enough to prevent abuse.

The former student made the allegations on the Christian podcast The Roys Report on May 29. Truett McConnell issued a statement a day later, saying that it first became aware of the allegations in February 2024, when the administrator informed the university he was under investigation by the White County Sheriff’s Office "regarding an inappropriate relationship."

The 3,100-student university says the administrator’s employment ended within days and that school leaders later learned that the administrator had sent "hundreds" of "sexually-explicit and theologically-twisted" emails from a personal account. Sheriff’s deputies concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to seek criminal charges, the university said. The sheriff’s office didn’t immediately respond Monday to a phone call and email seeking comment.

A lawyer for the former student contacted the university in February, Truett McConnell said. The student alleged in the podcast that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted at the administrator’s home.

What they're saying:

Marcia Shein, the former student’s lawyer, said Monday that the university knew about the claims well before 2024. She said a petition complaining about the administrator’s behavior was ignored.

The university replied that it "takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously" and that if a formal complaint had been filed, the administrator "would have been immediately investigated and ultimately dismissed."

Shein said the student hasn’t sued Truett McConnell because she is blocked by Georgia’s four-year statute of limitations on civil lawsuits. However, Shein said White County District Attorney Jeff Langley has told Shein’s investigator that he is taking a renewed look at the case.

Local perspective:

Several alumni demonstrated on campus Friday as trustees met, saying the university hasn’t done enough.

Brianna Derryberry, a 2017 graduate, held a sign saying, "Your silence says more than your slogan."

"I truly believe that there has been a lot that has been covered up," Derryberry told WDUN-AM. "I’ve just been praying that the darkness won’t be there anymore and that the truth will come out."

What's next:

As part of the announcement, the trustees named John Yarborough, the director of alumni and public policy, as acting president.