It started out as police hunted for a 25 year old teacher and her former student who were last seen on October 35, 2007. The parents of Fernando Rodriguez reported their son missing Saturday after he was last seen late Thursday.

Kelsey Peterson, a 25 year old sixth-grade math teacher and basketball coach at Lexington Middle School, was arrested in Mexico after fleeing  with a 13 year old boy. Kelsey Peterson and the 13 year old boy are suspected of having a sexual relationship. An arrest warrant ad been issued Monday charging Peterson with kidnapping, child abuse, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Following the two being located,  the 13-year-old boy, Fernando Rodriguez, was reported to be in the care of relatives in Mexico.

A female teacher was in FBI custody yesterday as federal and local prosecutors sought to determine how they would handle charges alleging that she ran away with a 13-year-old boy, taking him across the border into Mexico.

Kelsey Peterson, 25, a sixth-grade math teacher and basketball coach at Lexington Middle School, was turned over to the FBI early yesterday after being arrested the night before in the border city of Mexicali.

The story gets even more peculiar as even though 13 year old Fernando Rodriguez was released to family members in Mexico, he may not be allowed to return to the United States. Why? Fernando Rodriguez was an illegal alien in Nebraska attending 8th grade. Once again, your hard earned tax dollars at work.

A 13-year-old student with whom a middle school teacher is accused of fleeing to create a romantic life in the boy’s native Mexico may be required to stay there.

Court documents indicate that Hatcher, who lives in the Donelson area, and the teenager had sex in Gallatin and in Nashville. Police said the pair had sex on six occasions.

Police began investigating her after receiving information from Gallatin police.

On Thursday, Hatcher was released from the Sumner County Jail after posting a $15,000 bond for three counts of statutory rape. Her bond in Nashville was set at $6,000. (WTVF – News Channel 5)

Holly Hatcher Statutory Rape Case

“Parents React To Gallatin Teacher’s Arrest”

“I feel like it’s an epidemic,” said Susan Dattilo.

Dattilo said she couldn’t believe that yet another Middle Tennessee teacher has been charged with having sex with a student.

“We pay tax dollars to make sure these teachers are educating our children, but I can’t trust that they’re going to be safe with them and that worries me,” she said.

Is it an epidemic or are we all just more aware that teacher/student sexual relationships are going on due to the news media and the internet?

CLINTON, S.C. (WLTX, AP) — Authorities say a 23-year-old female middle school teacher was arrested Wednesday, accused of having sex with five boys in locations including the school, at a motel, in a park and behind a restaurant.

Clinton Public Safety Director John Thomas says some of the 14- and 15-year-old victims were students at Bell Street Middle School in Laurens School District 56, where Allenna Williams Ward taught. Others went to a different school.

Investigators say there could be more victims.

Warrants show Ward is charged with five counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and six counts of lewd acts on a minor. The incidents occurred between November and continued up through the past few weeks.

Ward has been fired from her job and is under house arrest. I wonder if this was a male teacher whether the bale would have been so low and house arrest deemed appropriate if 5 female 14 and 15 year old girls had been molested?

School district officials say they held an emergency meeting and fired Ward from her job. Thursday morning, bond was set at $110,000: $10,000 for each of the eleven charges. Terms of her bond include no contact with the alleged victims, no cell phone use, and if she posts bond, Ward is under house arrest.

McCandless, 30, is charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. McCandless has been free on $20,000 bail, but an arrest warrant was issued after prosecutors on Thursday filed a motion alleging the former teacher contacted the victim two days after both attended a court hearing Jan. 22. (Fox News)

Carrie McCandless and her attorney are denying the contact charges. In one of the more bizarre scenarios of this case, Carrie McCandless is the wife of Brighton Charter High School Principal Chris McCandless. Not too embarrassing. McCandless was offered a plea deal in her sexual contact case; however, one wonders if this will change that situation.

Alleged assault victim says ex-teacher phoned

Larimer County authorities have issued a new arrest warrant for former Brighton Charter School teacher Carrie McCandless after prosecutors accused her of contacting the alleged victim in her sexual assault case.
Prosecutors asked the judge to revoke McCandless’ bond on Thursday, and an arrest warrant, with a $25,000 bond, was issued for her on Friday.

Documents detailing the latest allegations against McCandless have been sealed.

Trani said the arrest documents allege that the student received a call from a woman he believed to be McCandless. Trani said the teen told authorities the call came from a 415 area code, which is the area code for the San Francisco area.

Trani said McCandless does not have access to any phones with a 415 area code, and he said he believes the publicity surrounding the case may have led a prankster to call the teen. (Denver Post)

Bird admitted having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy at East Hill Christian School. Both testified during the trial that they loved each other.

Defense attorney Jerry Allred had asked that Bird be placed on probation and serve no time in prison. A telephone message left at his office after business hours was not returned.

 As a result of her conviction, Bird must register as a sex offender with local authorities wherever she lives for the rest of her life. (AP)

 

Freeburg High School teacher Samson Shelton of Smithton is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping. He’s jailed in Belleville on $1 million bond.

Authorities found Reeves early Saturday in a heavily wooded area at a Belleville park, where she apparently had been lying for about 30 hours.

Investigators say Shelton had an undisclosed relationship with Reeves.
(WFIE 14)

What a shock, he had a MySpace account.

Day after girl was attacked, suspect gave no hint of stress

Just hours after prosecutors say Samson R. “Sam” Shelton tried to murder Ashley Reeves, 17, he appeared “completely normal” as he taught drivers education

Friday morning at Freeburg High School, one of his students said Sunday.

“He was normal, joking around as usual,” said Scott Brethauer, a freshman at

the high school. Brethauer said he saw nothing to indicate anything out of the ordinary in Shelton’s behavior.

For those who thought that it was the All American family with Samson Shelton living the normal life-style, take a look at this.

Shelton’s arrest has stunned students at the school and neighbors in the upscale Wildwood Lake Estates neighborhood in Smithton where Shelton has been living with his mother and grandmother. (a little red flag) The two-story brick home with a three-car garage sits in a country club setting in the 5400 block of Live Oak Drive, with a well-manicured lawn and neatly trimmed bushes.

Shelton, 26, who wrestled locally under the nickname “The Teacher,” was active in a variety of sports. He took part in a fast-pitch softball league, and a recent profile on the team’s Web site said his hobbies included “touching hookers” and pornography. (a larger red flag)

Some who knew Shelton painted a different picture of him Sunday. One neighbor, Craig Schwartz, said of Shelton and his family, “If you’ve ever heard of the all-American family, that’s who they were.”

Check out Steve Huff’s posting, Samson’s Fall, on this bizarre situation between yet another student and teacher.

Looking through Coach Shelton’s 70 friends on MySpace revealed plenty of men his age as friends, but no shortage of scantily-clad or alluring young women, either. There was Peyton, who listed her age as 17. There was also Jamie, still in high school (neither she nor Peyton listed themselves as attending Freeburg High), but 18. She left the following comment for Sam Shelton on April 25th, 2006, around 9 at night:

“i get to see u 2morrow right?”

We take no joy in this,” Williams said. “We wanted to be fair. Now it’s time to be fair to the district and the taxpayers.”

Raymond is facing eight counts of third-degree sex abuse and six counts of third-degree sodomy. She has a pretrial conference scheduled for Monday, March 6.

The abuse allegedly took place between June and October.

“Given the reality that she is unable to perform her duties, due to the pending charges, the board can discharge her with sufficient reason,” Williams said.
(News Register)

Take a look at what her favorite memory is from Sheriden High School from the school’s web page … when the students “get it” and think what “is it” is cool.

She was arrested in early October after a third-party reported the allegations. She was accused of having sexual contact with the 15 year old student.

Sheridan teacher charged with sexual assault

“We believe Raymond began having sexual contact with this youth over the summer, and it continued into the school year” Yamhill County Sheriff Jack Crabtree said in a statement.

Detectives think the two had sex at her McMinnville home and another home in Amity.
(FOX 12 Oregon)

York says: “We went to bed around 10:30 Friday night. And I let him sleep in on Saturdays. And I couldn’t find my purse when I got up, so I went to ask him if he had seen it and that’s when I discovered he had stuffed the bed with pillows.”

Police say Carter and Comer took around seven hundred dollars and credit cards from York’s purse, and they say he was not forced to go with her.

Chief Ford says: “He went willingly. We have seized the computer there was some chat. There was evidence there was a relationship between the two of them.”

Kentucky State Police say Carter’s willingness to go with Comer one reason an Amber Alert was not filed. Tompkinsville Police say Comer purchased a gun in December and York thinks her grandson may have been taken against his will.

It amazes me as to the rules and regulations and comments that come from police when dealing with these types of cases. Amber Alerts not issued because the 14 year old was not taken against his will. Yet he is a minor. How would this be treated if we were dealing with a 14 year old girl? Then the police make the following comment and the subsequent response by Justin’s grandmother.

Chief Ford says there is reason to suspect that Comer is a threat.

Ford says: “Anyone committing a crime and carrying a firearm I would consider dangerous.”

York says she hasn’t been able to rest since her grandson disappeared and she wanted to give him and Comer a message.

York says: “I would say to him come home and let’s get your life straightened out. And to her, good luck in prison.”

Comer resigned from Monroe County Middle School in November of 2005. She was last seen traveling in a red 2001 Camaro.

If you have information on their whereabouts, contact Tompkinsville Police at (270)487-8814 or Kentucky State Police at (270) 384-4796.

(WBKO 13)

UPDATE: Missing Teacher and Teen Were in a Sexual Relationship

Betty Carter York is the grandmother of the missing 14-year-old boy, thought to be with his former teacher. She says: “I had recently learned she was in my house every night. I did not know she was slipping in.”

Tompkinsville Police Chief, Dale Ford says: “Our investigation has led us to believe that there was an affair going on between those two. Starting sometime last year.”

Video available

(WBKO)

UPDATE: January 11, 2006 BREAKING: Angela Comer, 26, was arrested by Mexican authorities

A judge in Marion County, Florida, on Thursday rejected a proposed plea deal for Debra Lafave, who pleaded guilty in another county to having sex with a 14-year-old student while she was a teacher.

“The agreement went below the guidelines, and I’m not willing to go below the guidelines,” Judge Hale Stancil told CNN, without elaborating.

The trial in Marion County for the 25-year-old former reading teacher is set for April 10.

Defense attorneys had sought to spare their client a prison sentence, which they were able to do with the plea agreement in Hillsborough County. Lafave pleaded guilty there on November 22 to two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior.

ABC Action News: In surprise move, Marion County judge rejects Lafave plea deal

It looks like the plea deal that kept Debra Lafave out of prison was too good to be true after all.

Thursday afternoon, a judge in Marion County rejected the plea arrangement that had previously looked like a done deal in Hillsborough County, meaning the former teacher will be going to trial next spring on charges of sexual battery.

“The court is not going to, at this time, accept the plea that has been presented,” Judge Hale Stancel stated.

With what was expected to be a stamp of approval from the Marion County Judge turned out to be far from it today in court.

Based on that last allegation, Lafave faced charges in both Hillsborough and Marion counties. Her November plea deal with prosecutors in Hillsborough — which left her with three years of house arrest, seven years of probation, and status as a sex offender — was said to include the Marion County charges. The judge’s stamp of approval was expected to be a formality today, but he rejected the deal and set an April trial date.

“There were some unexpected developments today in court. I really don’t want to comment on those developments. I anticipate that we will be here in the next couple of weeks,” John Fitzgibbons said. Prosecutors even seemed surprised by the turn of events.

Judging from the glare on Debra Lafave’s mothers face and attorney’s reaction, someone has some explaining to do. A defendant agreeing to a plea deal that is supposed to encompass both county’s charges, only to have it fall through. Someone did not dot the i’s and cross the t’s. Ouch. The trial is expected to go forward in Marion, despite the wishes of the victim’s family.

Tampa Bay News 10: LaFave’s attorney reacts to plea rejection

Attorney John Fitzgibbons says Debra Lafave was obviously upset by the events in court on Thursday. Fitzgibbons says that was clear from the tears in her eyes. LaFave’s mother also appeared to be moved to tears because of the judge’s decision.

Fitzgibbons told me the events were “not a total surprise.” Fitzgibbons says after practicing law for several years, he never counts on a judge going along with a plea agreement until it is signed, sealed and delivered. Now Debra Lafave finds herself between the proverbial rock.

“If it goes to trial, Debbie can withdraw her plea in Hillsborough”

However that is not likely to happen, because it would be a huge gamble that the insanity plea would work. LaFave also isn’t facing any jail time in Hillsborough. Meantime while the judge has jurisdiction over the case, “the Marion state attorney could end the case by dropping all the charges”

That too isn’t likely, because the state attorney has to stand for re-election. That could be political suicide if the charges are dropped, even though the state attorney was not pleased with the judge’s decision.