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Bethany Sherrill
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Farmington teacher charged with having sex with student
February 17, 2005
Farmington, MO (KMOV) -- An
elementary school teacher in Farmington is accused of sodomizing a
15-year old boy.
Bethany Sherrill
Second year teacher Bethany
Sherrill, 24, turned herself in to deputies at the St. Francois County
Sheriff's Department Wednesday night.
Sherrill is facing one count of
statutory sodomy, a class C felony. She was released on $10,000 bond.
Sherrill resigned from her
teaching position at the Jefferson Elementary School in January. She
had worked as a special services instructor and a cheerleading sponsor
at Farmington High School.
According to court documents,
on January 11th a parent was checking the phone of her 16-year-old son
and found text messages allegedly from Sherrill to the teen
referencing oral sex. The 16-year-old denied any sexual contact,
however, the parent alerted the resource officer at Farmington High
School.
A short time later school
administrators learned of a 15-year-old student who was thought to
have information regarding the matter. That student told investigators
that Sherrill allegedly performed oral sex on him in November of 2004
at the Farmington home of a third student. According to statements by
the 15-year-old, the incident allegedly happened in the basement while
the mother of the house was away. The other teenager that lived in the
house had gone upstairs when the 15-year-old says the incident took
place.
According to court documents,
Sherrill admitted to investigators that she had sent the original text
messages to the 16-year-old but denied any sexual contact with the
teens.
Prosecutors claim to have phone
records showing text messaging and phone calls between the victim's
phone and a phone Sherrill has told authorities is hers.
Prosecutors say they have
additional evidence allegedly showing the victim laying his head in
Sherrill's lap outside of the Farmington Middle School during the
2003-2004 school year. Other school employees have apparently spoken
to investigators about that incident.
Sherrill is the daughter-in-law
of the school board president Mike Sherrill.
The judge
assigned to the case Thursday morning removed himself because of an
apparent conflict of interest.
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