Melissa Monroe
Posted by Webmaster in Arkansas, California, FE-MV, Hall of Shame, High Schools, Math, Middle Schools
(2/19/08 – Initial BBT Report)
Melissa Gayle Monroe, 32, a math teacher at Bentonville High School in Bentonville, Arkansas has been arrested on charges of sexual assault in the second degree and knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor.
Monroe came to the attention of police when another teacher received a text message allegedly from Monroe indicating that she had been involved in a sexual relationship with a male student.
Police say that Monroe took the boy to her home, gave him alcohol and had sexual intercourse with him, apparently on the boy’s 18th birthday.
Monroe is being held in the Benton County Jail awaiting a bond hearing.
She has been suspended with pay from her teaching position.
2/20/08 – Release On Bond
Melissa Monroe was released on $5,000 bond earlier today.
3/11/08 – Monroe Fired
Melissa Monroe, who since her arrest has been on paid administrative leave from the school system has been fired by the Bentonville School Board. The board voted unanimously to fire Monroe at its Monday meeting.
Monroe who remains free on $5,000 bond is set for arraignment on March 31st.
3/28/08 – Formal Charges
Melissa Monroe was formally charged today with second-degree sexual assault and four counts of knowingly furnishing or selling alcohol to a minor.
Arraignment is set for Monday.
3/31/08 – Arraignment
Melissa Monroe appeared for arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty.
Her next court appearance is a pre-trial hearing set for May 15th.
05/16/08 – Law’s Constitutionality To Be Challenged
Attorneys for Melissa Monroe have announced they will file a motion to challenge the constitutionality of the state law prohibiting public school teachers from engaging in sexual contact with students.
Arkansas law specifies it is a crime for a public-school teacher to engage in sexual contact with a student younger than 21.
Circuit Judge David Clinger set a hearing on the motion for August 14th.
08/15/08 – Hearing Delayed
A hearing set for August 14th on Monroe’s challenge to the constitutionality of the law charging her with having sex with an 18-year-old student has been rescheduled to September 10th.
Webmaster’s note: Thanks to ” justthisguy” for the info.
09/10/08 – Judge Rules Law Is Constitutional
Circuit Judge David Clinger today upheld a law that makes it a crime for a teacher to have sex with a student, even when the student is an adult.
Monroe’s defense attorney argued the teacher and student are adults with rights to engage in private, consensual, noncommercial acts of sexual intimacy.
The prosecution argued that the law is valid and rational, because the state has a compelling interest to promote a safe learning environment in schools.
Monroe is scheduled for a status hearing on November 10th.
11/11/08 – Trial Date Set
Circuit Judge David Clinger has scheduled a jury trial for for Melissa Monroe for April 28.
A pretrial hearing is set for April 27.
If convicted Monroe faces a maximum sentence of from 5 to 20 years in prison.
04/28/09 – Trial Rescheduled
The trial of Melissa Gayle Monroe has been rescheduled to June 23, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for June 22.
Monroe remains free on $5,000 bond.
06/13/09 – Defense Wants Victim’s Sexual History In At Trial
Defense attorneys want to introduce the sexual history of the student with whom Melissa Monroe is accused of having sex.
Conrad Odom and Alan Lane, Monroe’s attorneys, recently filed a motion seeking to admit evidence of the student’s prior sexual conduct at Monroe’s trial, scheduled to start on June 23rd.
06/18/09 – Guilty Plea and Sentencing
Melissa Monroe has reportedly pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree sexual assault for having sex with an 18-year-old student last year.
Monroe was sentenced to 120 days in the Benton County Jail to be followed by five years state supervised probation.
Monroe was also sentenced to 30 days in jail for two counts of knowingly furnishing alcohol to the student. This sentence will run concurrent with the 120 day sentence.
Reportedly Monroe will be required to register as a sex offender.
References:
Judge Accepts Teacher’s Guilty Plea (06/18/09)
Attorneys: Student’s sexual past fair game (06/12/09)
Former teacher’s trial rescheduled (04/28/09)
Trial set for former high school teacher (11/19/08)
Jury trial set for former BHS teacher (11/11/08)
Law Charging Teacher Constitutional, Judge Says (09/10/08)
Hearing for former BHS teacher rescheduled (08/14/08)
Law’s constitutionality questioned (05/16/08)
Former Teacher Enters Not Guilty Plea To Sex Charge (3/31/08)
Charges Filed Against Teacher (3/28/08)
School Board Fires Math Teacher Arrested for Sexual Assault (3/11/08)
Math Teacher Posts Bond on Sex Charge (2/20/08)
Bentonville teacher accused of having sex with student (2/19/08)
Teacher Arrested In Sexual Assault (2/19/08)
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I think Mrs. Monroe just wanted to get her nut. And the student just needed to release some stress inside her…
NO BIGGIE RIGHT?
dumb (Deleted by site moderator). If she would have only kept her mouth shut, it could have been a good memory. Instead 4 months with bubbaetta…
This comment has been edited by site moderator in accordance with site policies as outlined in the “Comments” page.
The only real crimes that this woman committed were cheating on her husband and giving the 18 year old booze. As for that silly law against having sex with an adult student, fuey! At age 18 this boy became a man. The army doesn’t send boys off to war, but as soon as you turn 18 you are old enough to kill or be killed.
When I was a kid, it was against the law to be homosexual, and if a woman had an abortion she was charged with murder. Before Richard Nixon was President, you weren’t old enough to vote until you turned 21.
As far as I’m concerned, this teacher may be a whore but she’s not a child molester. I just don’t understand what a grown woman could want with a teenage punk. In Saudi Arabia she would have been sentenced to death. Maybe some of you who left comments amounting to “off with her head!” would be happy with this system of justice. Not I.
I did not expect Melissa Monroe to get off of this as innocent. Even if the idiotic law regarding the relations between ADULTS in the school enviornment, she still had the charges regarding the alcohol that was given the the boy of 18. However, although she is guilty, i am very glad her trial ended out this way. County Jail and then probation. I am glad that Mrs. Monroe, her husband, and her children can put this all behind them, and not have to guess about the punishment for her actions.
As for having to file as sex offender, I dont completly understand.. But, once again, probation and a couple of months of Jail time is far better than five to twenty years in a state prison.
If you happen to be reading this, Mrs. Monroe, please pay me a visit. I would love to see you before August
i don’t quite get such actions by teachers. its not like this is not known to be improper and even illegal. is the allure more than the appreciation of the risks? the sene that others got caught, but they will not? it certainly is mentoring to a different pov. i doubt any alcohol was needed. for me, i am not sure how i would have reacted, but certainly the fantasy is just that.
I used to post as vykan
This whole mess wouldn’t have happened if Mrs. Monroe had talked it over with her husband. Doing so would take the illicit thrill out of it. Also her husband may have gone to the principal and talked to him or her about the actions of this dirtball boy. A couple of the posters say this boy wasn’t a man at 18. That may be true, but I was out of the house and on my own at 17 and was in college just a wee bit later while still 17. This twerp knew what he was doing. Monroe knew what she was doing. She failed to consider the multigenerational effects this would have on her parents, husband’s parents, their children. She failed to consider what the schools are careful to cover every year about dealing with students. She is and was stupid and deserves way more time to think over her stupidity. I hope her time is very hard time for her and she comes out someone who will never come even close to doing this again and who will own up to her failings very quickly. I don’t know why her husband hasn’t taken their children and kept them away from her. I know that I would consider it, especially with how she has tried so many legal manuevers. But then, maybe he encouraged that strategy.
Probably she plead guilty to not get in more trouble since i read that her attorneys had also filed a motion to prevent prosecutors from introducing an allegation that she had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with another former student.
Well said Jim. I agree whole-heartedly with you.