Ala. Special Ed Teacher Allegedly Sexually Abused Student, Husband Files for Divorce 2 Days Later
A former special education teacher in Alabama is accused of sending nude photos to students and having sex with one of them.
On Friday, 22-year-old Lyndsey Sherrod Bates was indicted on a felony charge of engaging in a sex act with a student younger than 19 and misdemeanor counts of distributing obscene material to a student and having sexual contact with a student, WAFF, WHNT and AL.com report.
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On March 29, Bates resigned from Madison County High School, writing in her resignation letter that she wished to work in a “different area of education,” AL.com reports. That same day, she and her husband of less than a year separated.
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Five weeks later, Bates was arrested for allegedly sending nude photographs of herself to two students and having sex with one of them. According to officials, Bates allegedly had sex with the 17-year-old male student in February and allegedly sent the photos to the second student in March. The students were not part of special education classes.
Bates’s then-husband filed for divorce two days after her arrest citing “incompatibility,” court records obtained by AL.com state. The uncontested divorce was finalized in July.
“She’s looking forward to clearing this up and having her day in court,” Bate’s attorney, Robert Tuten, told AL.com.
The age of consent in Alabama is 16, but the state’s teacher-student sex laws says “consent is not a defense.” If convicted, Bates faces up to 20 years in prison. Tuten could not be reached for comment Friday.
