A Texas teacher has admitted to sexually abusing a 15-year-old student while she was working as an educator.
Emily Marie Anderson, 35, was arrested in August 2021 and charged with sexual assault of a child, a second-degree felony. She was arrested again in December 2021 and charged with a felony charge of improper relationship between an educator and a student.
Student's Mother Reported Anderson After Finding Sexually Explicit Texts on Son's Phone
According to KSAT-TV, police began to investigate Anderson after they heard from the victim's mother, who had discovered sexually explicit texts on her son's phone. An investigation traced the texts to Anderson, who was then a special education teacher at Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas.
The arrest affidavit from Anderson's first arrest in August 2021 noted that the texts contained details of a sexual encounter between Anderson and the victim, which occurred in May of that year. According to the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, Anderson admitted to police that she had sex with the victim in a biology classroom closet. He was 15 years old at the time.
The educator was placed on leave after her first arrest and Canyon High School Principal Dustin Davisson sent a letter to parents saying, "I know that it can be quite disturbing to learn that one of our teachers was charged with a crime such as this."
Anderson to Spend 60 Days in Jail as Part of Plea Deal
Anderson pleaded guilty to the charges on Monday. She will be required to spend 60 days in jail over the course of her 10-year probation period. She will also have to pay a $2,000 fine and complete 500 hours of community service.
Per the plea deal, Anderson will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. The judge filed a protective order that prohibits her from contacting the victim.
Victim's Mother Says Her Son is Now Suffering from Anxiety, Depression
During Monday's court hearing, the victim's mother addressed Anderson, saying that her son now suffers from depression and anxiety.
"I trusted you," the mother said, according to the Herald-Zeitung. "You knew what we were going through, and you knew he was behind in school."
"When I saw those messages — when I went through that phone, my [instinct] was to go and get you out of that school and deal with you myself," she continued.
