David Choi
Introduction
David Choi (David Min Choi) is a former teacher at Holly Ridge Middle School in Wake County, North Carolina, who resigned after his October 2, 2026 arrest on a charge of soliciting prostitution — a Class I felony on a first offense under North Carolina law. Choi, 26, of Apex, was one of four people arrested by Cary police the same day in a case that also netted a promoting-prostitution charge, and he was due back in court on October 26, 2026. The school’s principal told parents the alleged solicitation did not happen on campus and did not involve any students. The charge is an allegation, and Choi has not been tried.
Background Information
Choi worked as a teacher at Holly Ridge Middle School, part of the Wake County Public School System. Court documents and arrest records from the Wake County Sheriff’s Office forensics unit show he was picked up by the Cary Police Department on October 2, 2026, alongside three others: Junming Tang, 51, of Cary, charged with promoting prostitution; and Rimika Nakai, 27, and Thi Kieu Thuong Chu, 32, both of Cary, each charged with prostitution. The arrest records do not state how the investigation started or where the alleged deal took place.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Choi was arrested October 2 and charged with one count of soliciting prostitution, first offense. Under North Carolina’s G.S. 14-205.1, soliciting prostitution is a Class I felony on a first offense. A Korea Daily report citing the warrant said Choi and Tang arranged the prostitution and that the women agreed to sex for money; that account has not been tested in court, and the underlying arrest records made public so far do not detail the arrangement. Choi appeared before a judge the following Monday, told the court he would hire his own attorney, and did not respond when WRAL asked him for comment. He is due back in court October 26, 2026.
The professional consequence followed immediately. Holly Ridge Middle School principal Jennifer Newby sent a letter to parents confirming Choi was a teacher at the school and that he had resigned. Newby wrote that she could not discuss details of the case because of privacy laws, but told families the alleged solicitation did not happen on campus and did not involve any students. “I want to assure you that we take the safety of our students and staff members very seriously,” she wrote. Wake County Public Schools has not released a resignation letter, and the district did not respond when WRAL asked what communication to parents had looked like in the days after the arrest.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Local coverage concentrated on the collision of a felony arrest with a middle-school classroom: a teacher charged in a police sting, resigning within days, with the district’s parent communication under scrutiny. The NC Beat published the four booking photos from the October 2 arrests side by side, putting the teacher’s case in the same frame as the three civilian arrests. For the school community, the principal’s letter served double duty — confirming the resignation and preempting the fear that students were involved, a point no fetched reporting disputes.
Current Status
Choi has resigned from Holly Ridge Middle School, and his criminal case is pending: one felony count of soliciting prostitution, a next court date of October 26, 2026, and no public response from him to the charge. The case against him is unproven, and no conviction has been entered. The other three people arrested the same day face their own separate charges.
Impact on Their Career/Life
A single arrest ended Choi’s teaching position within days, before any court has weighed the evidence — the resignation itself, not a district termination, removed him from the classroom. A Class I felony conviction in North Carolina carries potential prison time and a record that would bar any return to public education. Whatever the October 26 hearing produces, the case already illustrates how quickly an off-campus criminal charge can end a teacher’s career when the arrest record and a principal’s letter reach the same parents’ inboxes.