(12/04/07 - Initial BBT Report)

Lana Jo Rinehart, 28, a former physical education teacher at West Preston Middle School, in Masontown, West Virginia has agreed to a plea deal under which she will be placed on two years of supervised probation and surrender her teaching license.

Rinehart was charged in 2006 with third-degree sexual assault and sexual abuse by a custodian in a case alleging a 13-year-old male student victim.

Prosecutors has previously indicated that the alleged crime took place in September 2005 and did not occur on school property or during a school function.

Reference:

Phys ed teacher won’t serve jail time for sex with 13-year-old student (12/04/07)

Casey Casto, 22, a computer technician employed by the Kanawha County, West Virginia Board of Education has been charged with sexual assault for having sex with a 15-year-old female student who attends Capital High School.

Allegedly Casto met the girl at Capital High School at the beginning of the school year and developed a relationship with her including having sex with her on multiple occasions since the beginning of the school year.

Reportedly the criminal complaint states, “The victim stated that she and the defendant have had conversations about the situation being wrong, but the defendant has made no efforts to end the relationship.”

Casto came to the attention of authorities when the girl’s mother reported the relationship to the school board.

Casto who turned himself in to police Wednesday is charged with third-degree sexual assault and third-degree sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust to a child.

Reference:

Computer worker arrested in sex assault (10/25/07)

Man accused of having sexual relationship with 15-year-old student (10/25/07)

Capitol High School Tech Worker Charged With Sex Crime Against Student (10/24/07)

Shariff Mills, 32, of Beckley, West Virginia a former Beckley-Stratton Middle School girls basketball coach has been sentenced after pleading guilty to sending an 11-year-old team member explicit cell phone text messages.

Mills pleaded guilty in May to one count of attempting to use a minor in sexually explicit conduct.

Reportedly Mills came to attention of authorities when a Raleigh County Board of Education employee received a cell phone belonging to the 11-year-old girl. Upon reviewing contents of the phone, several messages originating from Mills’ phone were discovered to be of a sexual nature. Mills allegedly admitted sending the text messages.

Reference:

Former Beckley middle school coach sentenced to jail (9/15/07)

Ex-coach sentenced for explicit text messages (9/14/07)

Background:

Former middle school coach pleads to sex crime (5/30/07)

Raleigh County Coach Charged With Sexual Abuse (2/02/07)

James Beatty, 28, an animal sciences teacher at Elkins High School, in Elkins, West Virginia, has been arrested on allegations of sexually assaulting a student.

The sexual assault of the female student is alleged to have taken place on a school-sponsored Future Farmers of America retreat at Cass Scenic Railroad in Pocahontas County. The alleged sexual assault is classified as “forcible”.

It is also alleged that since the incident, Beatty has tried to kiss the girl six or seven times in school.

According to the State Journal:

Beatty was the West Virginia Association of Agricultural Educators’ Outstanding Young Teacher in 2005 and 2006 and a 2006 recipient of the Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award.

Reportedly Beatty is being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.

Update 8/07/07:

James Beatty has been indicted by Pocahontas County Grand Jury on charges of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or other person of trust.

References:

Elkins High Teacher Indicted (8/07/09)

Elkins High School Teacher Arrested (7/30/07)