(09/22/08 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)

Sheral Lee Smith, 37, a teacher at Summit School, a private school, in Jackson, Mississippi has been arrested and charged with statutory rape and transfer of a controlled substance.

Smith is reportedly charged with the statutory rape of a 14-year-old male student.

The crime is alleged to have taken place at Smith’s home. The charge alleging the transfer of a controlled substances is predicated on a belief that Smith gave the boy some type of “pill”, reportedly Xanax.

Smith was arrested on September 17th and was released on $50,000 bail two days later.

09/23/08 – Additional Info

Sheral Lee Smith says that the allegations against her are false and that the boy was a friend of her son.

Smith says that her husband coached the boy in soccer and that he has been to the Smith home many times.

Read the rest of this entry »

(10/14/09 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)

Hope Johns, 31, an English teacher at Saltillo High School in Saltillo, Mississippi has reportedly been arrested on allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old male student.

Reportedly, Johns is initially charged with one count of sexual battery with investigators indicating that additional charges are pending.

Johns was arrested on Tuesday and subsequently released from the Lee County jail on $25,000 bond.

According to Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson, it is alleged that Johns tutored the student at her home, which is where the incidents allegedly occurred.

Initial reports indicated that Johns came to the attention of authorities when her cell phone was turned over to the sheriff’s department because of some inappropriate text messages that were allegedly sent to the student’s phone.

As a result of the allegations of inappropriate text messaging, investigators interviewed the alleged victim and other witnesses and thereafter arrested Johns on allegations of the sexual battery of the student.

At that time, Johns was reportedly suspended from the classroom owing to the text messages she allegedly sent to the student. On October 10th, Johns requested a hearing on her suspension. The hearing must take place no sooner than five days and no more than 30 days from the date when it was requested.

(1/21/08 – Initial BBT Report)

Rebecca Dawn Bogard, 27, a science teacher at the Center for New Opportunities, an alternative school in Biloxi, Mississippi, has been charged with one count of sexual battery on a male student under 16 years of age.

Bogard who has taught in the Biloxi school system for three years came to the attention of authorities by way of a complaint from the boy’s parents.

Following her arrest Bogard was released on $50,000 bond.

1/23/08 – Suspended By School System

Rebecca Bogard has been suspended with pay by the school system.

It was also revealed that Bogard was crowned the Biloxi Shrimp Bowl queen in 1996, which may or may not matter in anything…

1/30/08 – Preliminary Hearing Waived

The Sun Herald is reporting that not only has Rebecca Bogard waived her preliminary hearing but also that she admitted to police a sexual relationship with the boy, who she allegedly referred to as “her little sex fiend”.

According to the Sun Herald, Mrs. Bogard indicated that sex occurred in her Jaguar which bears the license place, “GRRRRR”.

See the Sun Herald report link below.

1/31/08 – Bogard Resigns

According to Biloxi Schools Superintendent Dr. Paul Tisdale, Rebecca Bogard submitted her resignation Wednesday.

E-mail To Colleagues

Hours before Rebecca Bogard submitted her resignation she reportedly e-mail her colleagues the following statement:

Please TRUST me in that I did not admit to everything that was printed in today’s paper. I truly appreciate your words of support and encouragement. Please continue to pray for my family and me. Thank you, Rebecca Bogard.

The Sun Herald has made available copies of the following documents in ‘PDF’ format:

Underlying Facts and Circumstances

Affidavit of sexual battery

Warrant issued for Rebecca Dawn Bogard

See the 02/01/08 Sun Herald report link below for the details.

09/16/08 – Grand Jury Indictment

Rebecca Bogard has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of exploitation of a child, touching of a child for lustful purposes and statutory rape.

If convicted of all charges Bogard could face as much as 65 years in prison.

09/17/08 – Additional Details on Charges

The nature of the allegations contained in the grand jury indictment of Rebecca Bogard has been revealed.

The three charges are based on allegations that Bogard:

(1) used text messages to persuade a child under 18 to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexually explicit conduct

(2) touched or rubbed her mouth and hands on the body of a child under age 16

(3) had sexual intercourse with a child at least age 14 but younger than 16

Bogard remains free in $50,000 bond to await arraignment and eventual trial.

10/08/09 – Case Update

Rebecca Dawn Bogard has reportedly been sentenced to seven years in prison with all but one year suspended.

10/09/09 – Guilty Plea and Sentencing

In a plea deal with prosecutors, Rebecca Bogard pleaded guilty to statutory rape. Charges of exploitation of a child and touching of a child for lustful purposes.

The judge sentenced Bogard to seven years in prison, then suspended six of those years, leaving one year to serve to be followed by three years probation.

The judge also ordered Bogard to give up her teaching certificate and to register as a convicted sex offender.

References:

Bogard to serve one year for sex with student (10/09/09)

1-year sentence for ex-teacher in student sex (10/09/09)

Ex-teacher gets seven-year sentence for rape charge (10/08/09)

Teacher faces 3 sex charges (09/17/08)

Former Biloxi Teacher Indicted On Sex Charges (09/16/08)

Teacher e-mails colleagues, resigns (2/01/08)

Biloxi Teacher Resigns After Admitting To Sex With Student (1/31/08)

Teacher admits sex with student (1/30/08)

Biloxi teacher charged in sex case suspended with pay (1/23/08)

Teacher charged with sexual contact with student (1/21/08)

Female Biloxi teacher charged with sexual battery on male student (1/21/08)