A 39-year-old teacher in North Carolina is facing several charges after officials investigated sexual allegations involving a student that were levied against her.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said the agency received a report about the allegations on July 1 and began looking into the matter, WFMY News reported on Wednesday.
“Following an investigation, Criminal Investigation Detectives sought charges against Britney Marie Vernon for three counts felony indecent liberties with a student and three counts felony sex act with a student. The magistrate found probable cause to issue the warrant,” the agency’s press release said.
An image shows Vernon:
NC Randolph County Sheriff Department News Release re: Arrest & Investigation of Britney Marie Vernon a CTE Teacher suspended from Randleman High School w/pay charged w/3 counts of Felony Indecent Liberties w/a student 3 counts of Felony Sex Acts w/a student reported July 1 2024 pic.twitter.com/dmTVemuGW1
— Dannell Atchison (RealAccount) (@DannellAtchison) July 26, 2024
According to the WFMY report, the suspect is a Career and Technical Education instructor at Randleman High School.
“She started in the Randolph County School System on Aug. 20, 2018, and started at Randleman High School on Aug. 21, 2023,” the outlet said, noting she is being held on a $75,000 unsecured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on August 12.
The article also said the suspect has been “suspended from Randleman High School with pay.”
In May, an Arkansas teacher whose students surprised her on national television in 2020 was sentenced to prison for having sex with a 17-year-old student, Breitbart News reported.
The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) defines child sexual abuse as “a form of child abuse that includes sexual activity with a minor. A child cannot consent to any form of sexual activity, period. When a perpetrator engages with a child this way, they are committing a crime that can have lasting effects on the victim for years.”
The organization also noted that “The majority of perpetrators are someone the child or family knows,” and they can be an older sibling or playmate, relative, a teacher, coach, or parent of another child.
“Child sexual abuse is not only a physical violation; it is a violation of trust and/or authority,” the organization’s website read.
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