Charges filed against a former Missouri teacher who had sex with a student have been dropped since the pair got married, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Baylee Turner, a former English teacher at Sarcoxie High School, was reportedly charged with having sex with a male student back in February 2019. Prosecutor Nate Dally said the case was dismissed since Turner and the student have gotten married, which can prevent him from testifying against her, according to the outlet. The student’s name was not disclosed.
Turner purportedly admitted that she’d had sex with her student to police in January 2019, the New York Post reported. The outlet noted it is unclear when Turner and her student got married. (RELATED: Former Teacher’s Assistant Charged With Molestation After Police Say They Caught Her With A Minor)
Turner was completing her first year of teaching at the school when she had sex with her student, according to The Joplin Globe. She had previously taught at a middle school in the district before teaching at Sarcoxie High School, the local Missouri outlet noted.
Turner has surrendered her state teaching license, the prosecutor Dally said, according to The Joplin Globe. It is illegal under Missouri state law for a school district employee or volunteer to have sexual contact with a student under or above the age of consent, the Joplin Globe reported.
Six teachers, including Turner, in southwestern Missouri have been accused of having sex with students in recent years, according to the outlet.