A 24-year-old Missouri teacher is accused of exchanging nude photos with a 16-year-old student and inviting her to his home to have sex while her husband was away.
Rikki Lynn Laughlin, a teacher at St. James, is accused of sending X-rated photos and videos of himself using a dildo to the teenager and asking her for pictures of his privates via Snapchat, the Riverfront Times reported.
The student reportedly told police that “things escalated quickly” after the Snapchat exchange and that she and Laughlin had kissed.
When he allegedly invited her to have sex, he “made an excuse” not to have contact because “he didn’t feel comfortable,” a probable cause statement by the Maries County Sheriff’s Office reportedly stated.
Officers launched an investigation after receiving a tip from Phelps County detectives on Oct. 19 about an inappropriate relationship at a school in the small town of St. James, 95 miles southwest of St. Louis, KSDK reported, citing the document.
Rikki Lynn Laughlin, a 24-year-old Missouri high school teacher, is accused of exchanging nude photos with a 16-year-old student.
Laughlin allegedly told the teenager he could go to jail for the explicit material and asked him to delete it because people at school were talking, but he was able to provide some images for the detective, officials said.
Police later interviewed Laughlin, who admitted he had been in contact with the student via Snapchat — but claimed he had initiated the conversation and that he did not “realize” he was a minor until the day before, according to the statement. The age of consent in Missouri is 17.
The teacher later reportedly allowed police to search his cell phone, where detectives found illegal videos similar to what the student described, officials said.
Laughlin is charged with possession of child pornography, molestation of a victim, attempted statutory rape, sexual exploitation of a minor, tampering with physical evidence and child sex trafficking, along with one misdemeanor count of providing child pornography. minors, according to reports.
School district Superintendent Tim Webster did not name Laughlin, but confirmed to KSDK that a teacher was “immediately escorted from school property and placed on leave pending an investigation.”
“The district takes this matter seriously and reports the allegations to the appropriate outside agencies, including law enforcement,” Webster said in a statement.
“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our students, and we do not tolerate any violation of policy or law in our educational community,” he added.
Laughlin, who completed three provisional certificates of authorization and a substitute certification, was teaching a class to juniors at the high school, KMOV4 reported, citing the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
His bond was set at $100,000 and he has a court hearing scheduled for Nov. 20.
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