2 Teachers Accused of Having Parties with Teens
Why would a teacher want to party with teenage students? And why would teenage students want to party with adults? (Hint: drugs, sex, alcohol.)
The teachers accused are from Spartanburg County, South Carolina and have been arrested after having parties with underage students. Sheriff Chuck Wright announced the arrests of Sarah Jane Lindsay and Audrey Grabarkiewicz. Lindsay, who was a teacher at Boiling Spring Elementary School, resigned, and Grabarkiewicz worked at a Baptist Church Daycare until she was dismissed when the allegations surfaced.
According to Wright, more than 10 teenagers attended the parties, which did not take place on school or church property. Authorities discovered the parties with teens after an investigation was launched when a parent told police deputies that someone was providing alcohol to their teenagers, WXII12.com reports.
Lindsay and Grabarkiewicz are both charged with several counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Lindsay is also charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor 11-14 years old. Grabarkiewicz is also alleged to have had sexual contact with teenagers, but she has not been charged, according to Wright because they were at least 16, and therefore over the age of consent under South Carolina law.
According the Wright, the women threw parties with teens that included alcohol in almost all occasions, as well as marijuana at least once and numerous sexual acts. According to Wright, there may be more victims. South Carolina has a new law designed to criminalize teacher-student sex, but it does not apply because the victims were not students of the accused. Nevertheless, according to Spartanburg County sheriff's spokesman Tony Ivey, a charge of criminal sexual conduct calls for harsher sentencing than under the teacher-student law.
Related Resources:
- State-by-State Marriage "Age of Consent" Laws (FindLaw)
- Statutory Rape (FindLaw)
- New Mass. 'Sexting' Obscenity Law Challenged (FindLaw Blotter)
- Sex Offenses Information Center (provided by Charles L. Waechter)