Current:Home > MyMissouri dad knew his teen son was having sex with teacher, official say. Now he's charged. -ValueCore
Missouri dad knew his teen son was having sex with teacher, official say. Now he's charged.
View
Date:2025-04-16 17:37:55
A Missouri father has been arrested after authorities say he allowed his 16-year-old son to have sex with his high school teacher over at least a two-month period late last year, newly released court records show.
Police arrested the 36-year-old father on Jan. 4 on one count of endangering the welfare of a child, saying he knew about the sex and that the two were using other students as their lookouts, according to Pulaski County Criminal Court records obtained by USA TODAY.
USA TODAY is not naming the father to protect his son's identity.
Meanwhile the teacher, 26-year-old Hailey Clifton-Carmack, was arrested in Texas after fleeing Missouri, according to a Monday Facebook post by police in Garden Ridge, just outside of San Antonio.
Clifton-Carmack was a math teacher at Laquey High School in the unincorporated community of Laquey, about 75 miles south of the state capital, Jefferson City.
She faces charges of statutory rape, endangering the welfare of a child, sexual contact with a student and child molestation. USA TODAY was working to track down Clifton-Carmack's attorney, if she has one.
'Scratches down his back'
According to the arrest warrants in the case, the alleged crimes took place from Nov. 1 through Dec. 23 when the victim was 16.
Pulaski County Sheriff's Department detectives learned about the allegations when a witness came forward and told authorities that the 16-year-old boy had shown them photographs of scratches down his back and said that they were from his teacher "after they had sex in her driveway," charging documents show.
The teen told the witness that he was the reason for his teacher's divorce, and said they had overheard them speaking intimately on the phone. In addition, the affidavit continues, the witness said the teacher is “too friendly with students and sometimes will dress inappropriately at school," often "openly discussed her personal life in class," and at one point got in trouble with the administration for "being too close with students."
When detectives visited the school on Dec. 8 to serve a search warrant on the suspect's phone, charging documents show, Clifton-Carmack denied having any kind of relationship with the boy.
'Giving her test answers':High school teacher accused of inappropriate sexual relationship
Teacher 'used students as lookouts'
As the investigation unfolded, on Dec. 23, detectives reported they got a tip the teacher was traveling to Texas but planned to visit the boy before she left town.
On Jan 3, another witness met with detectives and said they had been to the boy's home and spoke with his father, who said he knew the teacher and his son "have been in a sexual relationship and have used students as lookouts while they had sex during school."
When the witness told the boy's father they were going to police with the information, the complaint continues, "he responded by telling her they are going to do it behind my back so I may as well let it happen."
The report goes on to say he told her he would "lie for his son if he had to."
When detectives spoke to the father, he reportedly acknowledged that the teacher had been at their home before she left for Texas.
Timeline of warrants, arrests
Clifton-Carmack had not returned from Texas by Jan. 3, and people living at her registered Missouri address told detectives that she had moved to the state to be with family and did not know if she planned to return.
A warrant was issued for her arrest the next day, the same day the teen's father was arrested and booked into the county jail in Waynesville, Missouri.
And the day after that on Jan. 5, Garden Ridge police in Texas say they were contacted about Clifton-Carmack, whom they described as "a fugitive from justice who was suspected of fleeing the state of Missouri," according to their Facebook post.
Clifton-Carmack was subsequently arrested and was still in custody in Texas as of Wednesday, a Comal County jail spokesperson told USA TODAY.
The teen's father was released on a $50,000 bond and is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 5. USA TODAY has been unable to reach him.
District: 'The alleged misconduct is inexcusable'
The Laquey RF School District could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY on Wednesday.
But, according to KRCG-TV, Superintendent Kent Stoumbaugh said the district was aware of the case, "took immediate action" and that the teacher has not been in the district since Dec. 8, the same day detectives visited the school to look through the teen's phone.
"We do not anticipate her return," the superintendent wrote in a statement released to the outlet. "We understand that charges are not the same as a conviction and the employee is to be considered innocent until proven guilty. We must stress, however, that the alleged misconduct is inexcusable and does not meet the professional standards for district employees."
If convicted of felony child endangerment, prosecutors said, the boy's father faces up to 10 years in prison. Clifton-Carmack faces up to 25 years behind bars if convicted of all four charges.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Jayson Boebert facing charges:Lauren Boebert's ex-husband arrested after reported fight
veryGood! (75)
Related
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Noem looking to further bolster Texas security efforts at US-Mexico border
- TikTok, Snap, X and Meta CEOs grilled at tense Senate hearing on social media and kids
- Groundhogs are more than weather predictors: Here are some lesser known facts about them
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 'Rust' shooting case
- Earthquakes raise alert for Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano. But any eruption is unlikely to threaten homes
- Kentucky House committee passes bill requiring moment of silence in schools
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Damian Lillard cheered in his return to Portland after offseason trade to the Bucks
Ranking
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Disney's free speech lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed but second lawsuit still pending
- The fight over banning menthol cigarettes has a long history steeped in race
- Did 'Wheel of Fortune' player get cheated out of $40,000? Contestant reveals what she said
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- U.K. mulls recognizing a Palestinian state to advance two-state solution, defuse Israel-Hamas war
- Did 'Wheel of Fortune' player get cheated out of $40,000? Contestant reveals what she said
- Usher Clarifies Rumor He Was Beyoncé’s Nanny During Their Younger Years
Recommendation
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
New York City police have to track the race of people they stop. Will others follow suit?
Rights group warns major carmakers over risk of forced labor in China supply chains
Michigan shooter's mom told police 'he's going to have to suffer' after school slayings
Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
Jury hears that Michigan school shooter blamed parents for not getting him help
Both Super Bowl 2024 starting quarterbacks have ties to baseball through their fathers
Revenge porn bill backed by former candidate Susanna Gibson advances