(08/21/08 - Initial BBT Report)
Autumn Lee Leathers, 24, an English teacher at Mountain Ridge High School in Frostburg, Maryland has been arrested on allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a male student.
Leathers faces multiple charges, including second-degree custodial child abuse, fourth-degree sex offense, perverted practice and second-degree assault on allegations that she and the now 16-year-old boy had a sexual relationship beginning in May of this year and continuing through the summer.
The alleged victim was 15-years-old when the alleged sexual relationship started.
Leathers came to the attention of authorities when a neighbor of Leathers called after allegedly noticing the student at Leathers’ home several times in the late evening.
Allegedly the boy told police that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with her in May when he was age 15. He also told investigators that he had ongoing sexual relations with Leathers over the last three months at her Frostburg residence.
Following her arrest Leathers was being initially held in the Allegany County Detention Center in lieu of $25,000 bond.
Reportedly Leathers has been placed on administrative leave by the school district.
08/26/08 - Release on Bond, Preliminary Hearing Set
Autumn Lee Leathers has been freed on $25,000 bond.
She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 19th.
Leathers remains on administrative leave without pay pending action by the school board.
09/18/08 - Leathers Indicted By Grand Jury
Autumn Leathers was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday but the state’s attorney instead decided to take the case to the grand jury.
The Allegany County grand jury indicted Leathers on charges of sex abuse of a minor, custodial child abuse and sex offenses and a criminal summons was given to Leather’s attorney.
Leathers will be required to appear in court for an initial hearing but a court date has not been set.
Leathers remains free on bond.
10/07/08 - Court Appearance
Autumn Leathers appeared in court for her initial arraignment.
Leathers next court appearance is set for December 23 for a motions hearing.
Leathers remains free on $25,000 bond.
References:
Allegany County teachers in court, to return in December (10/07/08)
Teacher formerly of Springdale indicted for having sex with student (09/18/08)
Teacher charged with sex offense posts bond (08/26/08)
Mountain Ridge teacher charged for alleged sexual relations with student (08/21/08)
Frostburg teacher accused of sex with student (08/21/08)
Teacher Arrested, Accused Of Having Sex With Student (08/21/08)
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December 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
i knew ms. leathers, she was a student teacher at sharon high school, actually she was a student teacher for a very very strict teacher that teaches here, she was always really flirty and touchy with the guys, she always gave them advantages over the girls too. we all thought she was just trying to get some attention… but i guess we were wrong. thats sick, its very very sick! if she cant find someone her age then thats pathetic and thats just what she is! eww.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I had ms. leathers when i was in 10th grade. She was my student teacher in my english class. I am now a senior and my friends and i always knew she would get in trouble for something like this, because while she was student teaching she gave one of my classmates her phone number. She was a good teacher but she was mature enough to handle herself professionally.
October 10th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
man she was my english teacher last year. she was awesome, just nice. i didnt believe it when i herd it because i didnt think she was that stupid, she was friends with a lot of us, especially us in fourth period because we had her for two hours and she was very strict but nice at the same time, and a good friend. I mean i didnt doubt that she hung out with students over the summer but i didnt think she was stupid enough to sleep with one. Last i herd she had had an ‘adult’ boyfriend, but now that i think about it i mean she was talking about him around…eh…like begining of spring, i hadnt herd anything about him near the end of the year. i lived by her too. i miss her as a teacher, i was hoping to have her back this year until like two days before school started back up a friend sent me the story that was on the local paper website, and when i passed her room on the first day of school i remember how sad it made me feel.
September 20th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
i knew autumn leathers in college. she never really seemed like a person that would do something like this… but who ever really does seem like they would have sex with a child?! i feel bad for anyone that is close to her or dated her in the past… what a horrible thing to think about, its sooo embarassing. alot of my friends that knew her don’t believe that she did any of this…. i for one DO think she did this but i think that it is a pathetic act and she obviously has some mental issues going on. there is so much flirting going on in the school systems from students to teachers. i have tons of friends that have to make their privacy settings on social sites very high just to avoid situations that could be compromising. kids these days are too willing to prove how old they are… drinking, smoking, sex etc… im glad she was caught though. hopefully she set an example to others.~i knew her when…
September 19th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Jim, you may want to “hit it” and any young boy or older guy for that matter may feel the same way as you BUT it was the TEACHER’S responsibilty to say no. I can understand that she may have had feelings for the student and may have been physically attracted to him, BUT she still needs to be the adult because obviously the “boy” was too immature to keep his mouth shut and from various other cases around the country she should have known what the outcome would be. I feel sorry for her and her family because I am sure the student was probably the one that went after her and she probably had real feelings for him. Typically when it is an older male teacher with a young female student it is the teacher taking advantage of the girls crush. I hope other “adults” learn from this and as soon as they develop feelings for the minor, they need to get out and run as fast as they can……….