Amarillo man arrested for sexual assault of child

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - An Amarillo man has been arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a child and three counts of indecency with a child involving sexual contact.

Dwight David Merrell, 42, was arrested on Tuesday, Sept. 2, following a complaint being filed with the 181st District Court and a warrant being issued.

Merrell has been arrested and charged with one first-degree felony, which holds a sentence of five to 99 years if convicted, and three second-degree felony charges with two to 20 years.

Former employees with Trinity Fellowship Church have confirmed Merrell taught Trinity’s special education class earlier this year.

We reached out to Trinity Fellowship requesting the dates Merrell worked at the church and his position.

Trinity Fellowship’s Director of Human Resources, H. Kurt Vogeler, declined to comment on Merrell’s employment by the church saying, “Work related information can only be provided if we have a signed authorization to release information from the current and/or previous employee or contractor. If you have other questions or inquiries related to Trinity Fellowship, please contact our Director of Marketing and Communications.”

Merrell was also a former employee with Friona ISD as a special education teacher.

Friona released a statement earlier today saying:

Merrell has been booked into Randall County Jail with a bond set at $50,000.

NewsChannel10 has also reached out to the Randall County District Attorney’s Office for the official complaint filed against Merrell, but has not received a response.

We will continue to follow this case and provide an update as it becomes available.