RSS Feed
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
LHS teacher arrested again
In addition to the original charges against her, Charlene Schmitz, 55, of Leroy, now faces a charge of tampering with a witness. A federal grand jury has indicted her on one count each of enticing a child by computer and enticing a child by cell phone. The teacher has been on paid administrative leave from LHS since June 22, when she was arrested for her alleged inappropriate relationship with a 14-yearold ninth grade male student. As a result she faces second degree rape and second degree sodomy charges. According to Washington County Chief Deputy Terry Beasley, he received a complaint Friday, Nov. 23, that Schmitz had allegedly contacted the student, asking him to meet her behind the elementary school during the football game. Papers filed with the Washington County Circuit Clerk's Office state that the purpose of the meeting was for the student to give Schmitz a folder which supposedly contained information related to the case, which she had instructed him to obtain. Deputies Ferrell Grimes, Nick Reed and Kenny Sullivan took Schmitz into custody during the game. She originally had been out on $40,000 bond, but remained incarcerated until a bond revocation hearing, which was scheduled for Tuesday, at 1:30 p.m. Prosecutors hoped to have her bond revoked until her trial. District Judge Jerry Turner oversaw the hearing. District Attorney Spencer Walker represented the state and asked Turner to revoke Schmitz's bond. Her attorney, in turn, said Walker's motion was baseless due to the fact that his client now faces a federal indictment. He asked for the motion to be dismissed. Judge Turner dismissed the bond revocation as Schmitz's attorney had requested. The teacher was immediately turned over to agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who transported her to Mobile where she was to appear in a federal courtroom later that afternoon. Following the proceedings, Sheriff Richard Stringer said, "I think her (Schmitz) being taken into federal custody was the best thing that could have happened." Walker refused comment due to a gag order placed on the case in July by Judge Turner. The case was sent to a Washington County Grand Jury July 24 after Schmitz waived her preliminary hearing. The alleged victim's mother, who attended Tuesday's hearing with other family members, said she felt very vindicated for what her son had been through. She said this would help in starting the healing process for her family. "I represent the one who has been hurt," she added. She and other family members applauded as Schmitz was placed in the FBI's vehicle. According to Sheriff Stringer, his department was alerted to the alleged affair by a parent of the juvenile who discovered sexually explicit e-mails, allegedly sent by the teacher, on the child's computer. Schmitz has proclaimed her innocence since her arrest.
(SA Reporter Ellen Williams contributed to this story.)
|
for larger version       |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
)
