Michael D. Spears biography: 13 things about art teacher from Ashland, Kentucky

Michael “Mike” D. Spears is an American artist and teacher from Kentucky, United States. He is an alumnus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, USA.

Spears was working in retail when he decided he really wanted to be a painter. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. He is a resident of Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky.
2. He previously lived in Aldan, Pennsylvania, USA..
3. In 2001, he graduated from Marshall University with a bachelor of arts degree in graphic design.
4. In 2002, he started painting murals, getting jobs in not only in Ashland but also in other parts of Kentucky including Huntington, Paducah and Winchester. 
5. In 2003, Boyd County Schools hired him. He worked as an art teacher at Boyd County High School in Ashland.
6. In 2004, he graduated from Marshall University with a master’s degree in teaching.
7. In 2008, he graduated from Marshall University with a master’s degree in school administration.
8. In 2016, acanthamoeba keratitis, a water parasite, severely impaired his vision. After being treated for an ulcer on the cornea, he still had vision problems until a cornea expert in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky realized it was a parasite that had made him legally blind. For six months, he was treated with drops and he began to improve. 
9. In June 2017, his vision was 20/60.
10. In August 2017, he was interviewed by The Daily Independent about his job taking over restoration duties on the murals at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland. He told the publication, “It’s such an honor to get to do this. My kids will grow up knowing their dad helped restore these murals.”
11. On September 1, 2023, while he was employed as a Boyd County High School art teacher, Boyd County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested him at his residence in Ashland and seized multiple cell phones, computers and a thumb drive. He was accused of committing sexual misconduct against a female underage student attending the school.
12. On September 2, 2023, he was booked into the Boyd County Detention Center in Catlettsburg, Boyd County. His bond was set at $10,000.
13. He was 45 years old when he imprisoned on September 2, 2023. He was charged with first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of third-degree rape.