Blount County, TN (WOKI) A judge has granted a motion to recuse Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond in the case of a former Heritage High School teacher who faces multiple child sex crimes charges.

Fifty-one year old Shane Rewis of Maryville is a former teacher and coach at Heritage High in Blount County. In November, a Blount County grand jury indicted him on several charges: two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child, trafficking for a commercial sex act, three counts of exploitation of a minor by electronic means and sexual exploitation of a minor. He was arrested in Georgia.

The court granted the motion filed by Rewis’s legal team to recuse DA Desmond who was representing the state; no word on why the judge saw fit to remove Desmond.

For his part, Desmond has signaled his office’s intention to pursue the possibility of appealing the Court’s decision:

“While the District Attorney’s Office review of applicable law and authority lead us to conclude that recusal was not warranted in this case, we will always respect the decision of the Court.  We will be consulting with the State Attorney General’s Office regarding the legal remedy of appealing the Court’s decision, but no matter the outcome, our office will either zealously prosecute this case or provide all the appropriate information and support necessary to ensure a substituting District Attorney’s Office can appropriately proceed with the prosecution.” – Ryan K. Desmond District Attorney General

A status hearing is scheduled for August 11.