A North Carolina teacher who has repeatedly faced sex crime charges was arrested for a third time Saturday when police found her intoxicated drunk after a car crash — again with one of the minors a judge ordered her to stay away from, authorities say.
Elizabeth Suzanne Bailey, 37, a former teacher at Northview Academy, according to the Iredell-Statesville Schools and the Iredell County Sheriff's Office has been arrested several times over an inappropriate relationship with a student aged under 15.
Bailey Previously Violated Order by Having Victim at Her House During House Arrest
Bailey was first arrested and released on bond, charged with felony statutory sex offense with a child under 15 in August 2022, according the Iredell sheriff's office. As previously reported, a month later, she was again arrested and charged 19 times after officials reported Bailey had the student at her home several times since her arrest.
She faced nine counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, nine counts of intimidating or interfering with a state's witness and a count of violating pretrial release conditions, according to police. School officials said at the time Bailey was suspended. Her current employment status is unclear.
Bailey was with Minor, was Intoxicated During Car Crash
Police Saturday found Bailey in the passenger seat of a car that had crashed along Mocksville Highway between Statesville and Cool Springs, according to the news release. She admitted she had been drinking at the time of the accident, police said.
The two juveniles in the car fled before police arrived but were quickly located, according to the release. Police later took one, who had an outstanding secure custody order, to Alexander County Detention Center. The driver was not licensed, police said.
Deputies Saturday arrested Bailey, of Statesville, for being in contact with a juvenile who a judge ordered her to stay away from, according to the release. The North Carolina Highway Patrol also cited her for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and allowing an unlicensed driver to drive. Her bond was first set at $750,000, but a judge Monday reduced it to $50,000, police said.