A former Gentry teacher has been sentenced after pleading guilty to having a sexual relationship with a student.
Leah Ruthann Queen, 44, of Westville, Oklahoma, was arrested in September for sexual assault for an inappropriate relationship dating back to 2010. Queen was sentenced to six years of state-supervised probation as well as 58 days in the Benton County Jail, as reported by local news outlet KNWA.
Queen Kissed the Student on School Trip Before Engaging in Sexual Activity
Queen was a teacher at Gentry Intermediate School at the time of the incident. An affidavit says that the victim claims that when they were 17-years-old when Queen befriended them after a basketball game and the two began exchanging messages on social media outside of school hours.
In March during a trip, Queen kissed the student, according to the affidavit. The student gave police a picture and a journal that showed Queen present on the trip.
By the summer of 2010, Queen and the student would engage in "deviate sexual activity," including sexual contact in her office or office bathroom at the school, the affidavit states.
Queen's Husband Caught Her Sharing Bed with Victim Multiple Times
Queen's ex-husband was interviewed during the investigation and reported seeing the victim sharing a bed with Queen on multiple occasions. The victim's parents and a former teacher corroborated the victim's claims. Queen initially pleaded not guilty but changed her plea to guilty.
Queen, who was listed on the school's website as a physical activity teacher for grades three through five, was placed on administrative leave in the wake of the allegations that emerged in September 2022, as previously reported.
