Missouri teacher accused of sex crimes involving 2 students

We have discussed the topic of sexting on more than one occasion on this blog. The trend of people sharing sexually explicit material through cellphone communications seems to be continually on the increase across the country. Unfortunately, sexually explicit material shared through cellphone communications can result in criminal charges in some situations if minors are allegedly involved.



The father of a student in Joplin, Missouri, claims that he found numerous naked photos of an adult woman on his son’s cellphone. The father says that the images depicted a 32-year-old teacher. He says that he talked to the teacher about the images, and further claims that the woman admitted having sent the photos to the man’s son, who is a 16-year-old student.

School officials received a tip about possible sex crimes involving a woman who teaches 9th and 10th grade communication arts. The school notified police and the woman is now accused of unlawfully sending sexually explicit images to the teen, as well as having sex with another 16-year-old student on two consecutive days in May.

Authorities say that the student with the alleged cellphone images told police that the teacher had sent him between 25 and 40 pictures and that the two had contemplated having sex together.

A second student claims that the woman followed him home on two consecutive days in May to engage in sex. The woman is charged with several offenses including statutory rape, sodomy and unlawfully supplying a minor with pornographic materials. The woman was released on $7,500 bond on Friday, according to the Joplin Globe.

School officials say that in March the woman was not planning to return for next year’s school year. She submitted her resignation. When the allegations of potential sex crimes broke, the woman was placed on leave. Her contract with the school ends this week.

Notably, when a teacher is accused of a sex crime, the potential issues can be complicated. People who hold a professional license, such as an educator, may experience an adverse impact on their license if a conviction is entered in the criminal case.

Source: The Joplin Globe, “Charges filed against Joplin teacher,” Susan Redden, May 30, 2014