Delaware’s Brandywine School District was highly impressed with John Ervin Arnold’s qualifications when they hired him as a trauma counselor for K-5 students in October 2021. His master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology from Ohio University stood out to officials.
Arnold was a recent arrival in Delaware, having relocated to suburban Wilmington from Lee County, Florida. His resume indicated that he had experience working as a therapist.
According to Brandywine Superintendent Lisa Lawson, Arnold’s candidacy was strengthened by his “doctorate” and over ten years of relevant experience in Florida, despite not having worked in a school setting.
Arnold proudly displayed a framed copy of his diploma, showcasing his achievement of earning a “Doctor of Philosophy” degree in “Clinical Psychology” from Ohio University on May 27, 2013.
The Delaware Department of Education’s licensure and certification team later issued a letter to Arnold and the district acknowledging his Doctorate Degree.
Arnold’s certification enabled him to earn a significantly higher annual income compared to what he would have made with lower-level degrees. In the previous year, his earnings amounted to $114,500.
According to a school spokesman, Arnold, 47, did not attend Ohio University and does not possess any advanced degrees. The spokesman also mentioned that Arnold’s framed diploma is not genuine.
Last week, there was public attention on Arnold’s education and qualifications after a more serious incident occurred – his arrest by New Castle County police on charges of first- and second-degree rape of a 5-year-old family member.
The child disclosed the reported abuse in explicit detail during a conversation about appropriate and inappropriate physical contact at her summer day camp.
An arrest affidavit revealed that a separate family member, who is now an adult, informed a detective that Arnold had subjected her to sexual abuse on multiple occasions over ten years ago in both western Maryland and Florida.
Arnold is currently being held at the Howard Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington with a bail set at $1.05 million.
Arnold decided to waive the preliminary hearing that was originally set for Tuesday in Superior Court. A trial date has not been scheduled yet.
