A former Missouri teacher escaped sex crime charges after she married the student she admittedly had sex with.
Baylee A. Turner, 26, was charged in February 2019 with sexual contact with a student. The felony charge was punishable by up to four years in prison.
Turner admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old male student while teaching her first year at Sarcoxie High School. She was then arrested by police and charged. Turner resigned shortly after the arrest.
Prosecutors are now dropping the sex crime charges due in light of Turner’s new marriage. Turner married her former student, who was the alleged victim in the case and would legally testify against her.
However, according to prosecutors, the marriage severely impacted the state’s ability to punish Turner in court.
The Spousal Privilege Law makes it so that Turner’s former student can no longer be forced to testify against her. Since he is now her husband and protected under this law which is in effect in Missouri.
This made the state’s case exceedingly difficult to prove in court. With little to go off of, Tuner’s charges were dropped.
It’s unclear when Turner and her former student got legally married.
Whoa
Man say
Let me check