Tom GantertLake Charles, LA – A 34-year-old Louisiana teacher was arrested after being accused of having sex with a 10-year-old student.
Deidre Smith was a teacher at Lake Charles Charter Academy and had an inappropriate relationship with her student, according to KPLC.
The investigation began on April 30 when the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from a school administrator, according to Kim Myers, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
Detectives investigated and found that Smith had been having inappropriate contact with the 10-year-old victim since the end of 2018, according to KPLC.
She is married and the mother of three children, according to Heavy.
Smith was arrested on charges of first-degree rape and felony indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to KPLC. She was released on a $50,000 bond.
Police are still investigating and more charges may be added, according to Myers.
The school district released a statement that said the alleged incident involved only one student, according to the New York Post.
“While we are not at liberty to discuss personnel issues, please be aware that we do not tolerate any behavior that compromises our safety standards and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement to assure a thorough investigation is completed,” the statement said, according to the New York Post. “We believe this was an isolated incident and no other students were involved.”
The school president said that the allegations had not been verified.
“An allegation of staff misconduct was received by Lake Charles Charter Academy,” Ulysses Thibodeaux told KPLC. “We take any allegations of staff misconduct very seriously. The allegation is being investigated. The allegation has not been verified to be true. If verified that teacher will be subject to termination. The safety and security of our students and staff are our top priority.”
The school said that the incident happened off-campus, according to KPLC. The school reported the incident to police once it was reported.