By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — A former North Rowan High school teacher who violated his probation last week will serve his original sentence from a 2010 guilty plea for having sex with students.
Matthew Miles Price, 30, of China Grove, was in court Friday morning when Superior Court Judge Kevin Bridges, with little discussion, revoked his bond.
Price’s attorney Tim Emry of Charlotte argued his client had been in court for every hearing. The judge didn’t budge and ordered Price into the custody of the N.C. Department of Correction.
Price was in possession of pornographic material in July, court records said, which violated his probation.
His original sentence was 10 months to a year, which was reduced to five years supervised probation.
Price filed an appeal of his sentence with the N.C. Court of Appeals. He’ll have to wait in jail until the appeals court makes a decision.
Court records said Price sent a picture of him and a woman having sex to someone in his phone’s contact list.
The terms of his probation said he was not to possess sexually stimulating or sexually oriented materials.
A probation officer discovered the material during a warrantless search.
Price, who was also a North Rowan coach, was initially charged with 40 felony counts of sexual activity with three students.
He accepted a plea agreement in August 2010 and those 40 counts were consolidated to five counts.
Price resigned from his job shortly before he was charged in September 2009.
Price was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center Friday afternoon, Officials say he will then be transferred to the N.C. Department of Correction.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.