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A 24-year-old Missouri teacher allegedly exchanged nude images with a 16-year-old student and invited him to her home to have sex while her husband was away.
Rikki Lynn Laughlin, a teacher at St. James High School, was accused of sending X-rated photos and a video of herself using a dildo to the teen and soliciting pictures of his genitals from him via Snapchat, the Riverfront Times reported.
The student reportedly told police that “things progressed fast” after the Snapchat exchange and that he and Laughlin had kissed.
When she allegedly invited him to have sex, he “made excuses” for not hooking up because “he did not feel comfortable,” a probable cause statement by the Maries County Sheriff’s Office reportedly states.
Officials launched an investigation after receiving a tip from a Phelps County detective on Oct. 19 about an inappropriate relationship at the school in the small city of St. James, 95 miles southwest of St. Louis, KSDK reported, citing the document.
Laughlin allegedly told the teen that she could go to jail for the explicit material and asked him to delete them because people at school were talking, but he was able to provide some images for the detective, officials said.
Police then interviewed Laughlin, who admitted she had been in touch with the student over Snapchat — but claimed he had initiated the conversation and that she had not been “aware” he was a minor until the day before, according to the statement. The age of consent in Missouri is 17 years old.
The teacher then reportedly allowed police to search her cellphone, where detectives found an illicit video similar to what the student had described, officials said.
Laughlin was charged with possession of child porn, tampering with a victim, attempted statutory rape, sexual exploitation of a minor, tampering with physical evidence and sexual trafficking of a child, along with one misdemeanor count of furnishing pornographic materials to minors, according to reports.
School district Superintendent Tim Webster did not name Laughlin, but confirmed to KSDK that a teacher was “immediately escorted from school property and placed on leave pending investigation.”
“The District takes these matters seriously and reported allegations to appropriate outside agencies, including law enforcement,” Webster told the outlet in a statement.
“Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our students, and we do not tolerate any policy or law violations within our educational community,” he added.
Laughlin, who completed three temporary authorization certificates and a substitute certification, was teaching classes to juniors at the high school, KMOV4 reported, citing the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Her bond was set at $100,000 and she has a court hearing scheduled for Nov. 20.
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