Charges Against Missouri Teacher Who Had Sex With Student Dismissed After She Marries Him

The charges against former Missouri teacher Baylee Ashton Turner who was accused of having sex with her student, have been dismissed after she recently married the student.

Turner, 26, was charged with sexual contact with a stuent by a teacher in 2019 after she reportedly confessed to the cops that she had sex with one of her students. At the time, the victim confirmed his involvement. The accusation was made during Turner’s first year as an English teacher at Sarcoxie High School. She resigned from her position after the arrest.

Nate Dally with the assistant Jasper County prosecutor said the charges against Turner were dismissed after she married the student involved. He added that it would be hard to prosecute Turner without the student’s testimony due to the potential application of spousal privilege, Associated Press reported.

The former student can no longer be compelled to testify against Turner, which would make the crime difficult to prove in court. However, Turner has surrendered her state teaching license, which was the prosecution’s main concern, The Joplin Globe reported.

It is unclear when and where Turner and the former student tied the knot. The probable-cause affidavit in the case did not mention the student’s age at the time of the crime. Missouri state law prohibits school district employees, volunteers, elected and appointed officials from having sexual contact with students, regardless of whether they are a minor or of consensual age.

The case is similar to the infamous marriage between late ex-Washington state teacher, Mary Kay Letourneau and her student, Villi Fualaau. The 1996 case shocked the nation after Letourneau admitted to having a sexual relationship with then 12-year-old Fualaau. She pleaded guilty to rape and served seven years in prison. Letourneau later married Fualaau in 2005. The couple had two children together. Later, Letourneau said that she would not have had a relationship with the preteen had she known it was a crime, the New York Post reported.

In December, a 31-year-old teacher in New York was arrested after a former student accused him of inappropriate touching and kissing. According to the victim, the abuse happened over four years.