A 24-year-old Missouri teacher allegedly exchanged nude photos with her 16-year-old student and invited her to her home for sex while her husband was away.
According to Riverfront Times, St. Rikki Lynn Laughlin, a teacher at St. James High School, was accused of sending the teen X-rated photos and a video of herself using a dildo and asking him for pictures of his genitals via Snapchat.
The student reportedly told police that “things moved quickly” after the Snapchat exchange and that she and Laughlin kissed.
When he allegedly invited her to have sex, she “made excuses” for not having intercourse “because she didn’t feel comfortable,” the Maries County Sheriff’s Office said in a probable cause statement.
Authorities received a Phelps County detective from St. Louis on Oct. 19, KSDK reported, citing the document. Little St. Louis, 150 kilometers southwest of St. He launched an investigation after receiving a report of an inappropriate relationship at the school in St. James.
Authorities said Laughlin told the teen he could go to jail for sexually explicit material and asked him to delete the footage because people at school were talking about it, but he was able to provide some footage to the detective.
Police later interviewed Laughlin, who admitted to communicating with the student via Snapchat; but according to the statement, she claimed that he initiated the conversation and was “unaware” that she was a minor until the day before. The age of consent in Missouri is 17.
The teacher then allowed police to search his cellphone, where the detective found an illegal video similar to the one described by the student, authorities said.
According to reports, Laughlin was charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography, tampering with a victim, attempted statutory rape, sexual exploitation of a minor, tampering with physical evidence and sexual trafficking of a child, as well as providing pornographic materials to minors. .
School district superintendent Tim Webster did not name Laughlin but confirmed to KSDK that a teacher “was immediately removed from school property and placed on leave pending an investigation.”
“The district takes these matters seriously and has reported the allegations to the appropriate outside agencies, including law enforcement,” Webster said in a statement. said.
“Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our students, and we do not tolerate violations of any policies or laws within our educational community,” he added.
Laughlin, who completed three provisional credentials and one substitute certification, was teaching teenagers at the high school, KMOV4 reported, citing the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
His bond is set at $100,000 and he has a hearing scheduled for Nov. 20.
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