A woman from Englewood, Tennessee, has been indicted on more than 20 sex charges after investigators say she arranged sexual encounters with underage male students of McMinn Central High School.
Melissa Blair, 38, is charged with 18 counts of aggravated statutory rape, four counts of human trafficking by patronizing prostitution and one count of solicitation. She turned herself in Tuesday and was booked into the McMinn County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Blair Used Social Media to Contact the Boys, Exchanged Items for Sex
The indictment stems from charges that that she had illicit sexual encounters with nine underage high school boys, according to a press statement from McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy. Seven of the nine victims are juveniles while two are now legal adults.
The encounters allegedly occurred between spring 2020 through late 2021 and involved Blair using social media to contact the boys, all students at McMinn Central High School, according to the sheriff's office. She arranged meetings with the boys and exchanged items with them for sexual encounters.
The McMinn County Sheriff's Office became involved after receiving an anonymous letter regarding the allegations concerning Blair. Days after receiving the letter, detectives with the sheriff's office arrived at Blair's home to execute a search warrant. The sheriff's office said it swiftly launched an investigation, revealing new information and identifying additional victims.
Blair's Child was a Student at the School, Has Since Been Transferred
Blair is not a school employee but was known for her volunteer work at the local school and her involvement as a booster club member. Lee Parkison, director of schools for McMinn County Schools, said during a press conference Tuesday.
"She is involved with clubs and things of that nature just like most parents involved with the school," said Parkison. He added that she "had a student at the school who has since transferred." She has since been banned from school property and school activities.
"We suspect there may be additional juvenile victims and we encourage them or their parents to contact us. There may possibly be other victims who are now adults, and we also encourage them to contact us," Sheriff Guy said.
"This type of case is difficult and shocking even to us seasoned detectives, and I want to commend our staff for the many hours of identifying, locating, and interviewing victims and their families, as well as the many days of putting together the search warrant subsequent case file. But most importantly we want to offer support and resources to the victim and their parents as we move forward," he added.
District Attorney General Steve Crump, 10th Judicial District, also encouraged other parents and victims to come forward. "So we can make the fullest amount of justice possible for the most amount of victims," he said.
