The legal age of consent in the state of Oklahoma is 16 years of age. However, there is one notable exception — the age of consent for students is 18 in order to protect them from being taken advantage of by a person in a position of power, such as a teacher or school administrator. It is under this exception that a teacher in the Oklahoma City Metro is facing charges for rape in the second-degree.
Reports indicate that the 43-year-old teacher entered into a relationship with one of her 17-year-old students. The student told police that the two had at least 11 sexual encounters. He went on to say that those encounters took place in some unusual locations. The two began seeing each other on Valentine’s Day.
Another teacher at Choctaw High School discovered the relationship sometime in April. The woman was suspended from her job and placed under arrest. The investigation continued after that, and she was recently charged with seven counts of second-degree rape. She cooperated with police and turned herself in before posting a bond of $175,000. Her employment with the school district was also terminated.
No further information is available regarding whether she intends to go to trial or is in negotiations with Oklahoma prosecutors to come to an agreement. The woman is entitled to be presumed innocent until and unless prosecutors provide evidence of her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. She and her legal team will review the evidence — including the statements of the young man involved — and determine the course of action that will provide her with a satisfactory resolution to the charges.
Source: kfor.com, “Choctaw teacher charged with sex crimes free on bail“, Abby Broyles, June 5, 2015
