Farmington teacher charged with having sex with student

05:35 PM CST on Thursday, February 17, 2005

Farmington, MO (KMOV) -- An elementary school teacher in Farmington is accused of sodomizing a 15-year old boy.

KMOV

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.

Watch Robert Townsend’s report

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