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A Garner man who allegedly pursued a sexual relationship with a detained teen in his care likely won’t serve time in jail, The News & Observer has learned.
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Equan Grant Glenn, 42, submitted an Alford plea in November to a charge of sexual battery filed by Siler City police. An Alford plea acknowledges there is evidence to prove one’s guilt, but does not constitute admitting guilt.
Glenn worked at the Chatham Youth Development Center, according to court documents. The center is one of five in North Carolina providing “mentoring, education and therapeutic treatment” to juveniles in North Carolina’s court system, the N.C. Department of Public Safety website states. Treatment at the center is “the most restrictive, intensive” option for minors in the state, according to the website.
The Chatham County Department of Social Services contacted police last April after the teen’s grandparents reported the allegations, according to a search warrant in the case.
“The grandparents indicated that they found love notes from Equan Grant Glenn to [the victim] and they found notes from [the victim] to Mr. Glenn,” the warrant states.
The victim, who was 17 at the time, said the incidents began around Thanksgiving 2024 and continued through February 2025 while she was detained at the Chatham Youth Development Center, according to the warrant. The N&O is not naming her because she was a minor and was a victim of sexual assault.
Glenn and the victim knew where cameras were placed at the center and avoided interacting in front of them, she told police.
“[The victim] indicated that Mr. Glenn was a supervisor for the Chatham Youth Development Center where he moved locations/positions to have access to her,” the search warrant states. “The last month in which [the victim] was at Chatham Youth she was moved to the same location as Mr. Glenn.”
Glenn also indicated to the victim he could access her files at the center, according to the warrant.
Glenn was hired by the state in 2010 as an associate youth counselor in Edgecombe County, according to public records shared by the Department of Public Safety. He twice left the department, once in 2012 and again in 2022, but was rehired multiple times.
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Glenn most recently was rehired in March 2024 as a youth counselor supervisor in Chatham County. He separated from the state July 14, 2025, though records don’t indicate if he was fired or resigned.
After Glenn submitted his Alford plea, Assistant District Attorney Alex Ramirez and defense attorney Adam Soltys entered a joint motion to have Glenn placed on probation, court documents show.
Judge Sherri Murrell granted that motion, ordering Glenn to complete a year of supervised probation and complete problematic sexual behavior and mental health assessments.
While on probation, Glenn also may not live with any minor children other than his own and must submit to warrantless searches by his probation officer at any time, according to court documents. He’s also forbidden from contacting the victim.
District Attorney Jeff Nieman told The N&O the process is known as “conditional discharge” and could see Glenn’s charge expunged from public records if he successfully completes probation.
“I can’t really comment other than to say that there was more than one [assistant] DA that worked on this case, and that the DAs that worked on this case evaluated the facts thoroughly,” Nieman said. “They were in deep consultation with the alleged victim in this case, as we always do, and the DAs made the decision about the best way to proceed on the case.”
Nieman said he’d reviewed Glenn’s case and supported his assistant district attorneys’ decision. The victim was informed of the plea and given the opportunity to provide her feedback, according to Nieman.
“We take all crime seriously, and certainly cases of a sexual nature involving juveniles very seriously, and the decision to proceed as we did was not one made lightly,” he said.
Glenn will return to court in November, when a judge will determine whether he successfully completed his probation.
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This story was originally published August 7, 2026 at 9:42 AM.