Lawrence Artl III, a biology teacher at a Las Vegas high school, has been accused of having sex with a student and increasing her quiz grade from F to A. Artl was teaching at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts since 2007.
The Daily Mail reported that the legal age of consent is 16 in Nevada. But if the minor is a student and the sexual partner is a teacher or a figure of authority, the age of consent is 18, the outlet reported.
Artl Had Sex With His Student in Her House
The outlet stated that as per the court documents, the alleged victim revealed to the investigating authorities that Artl came to her house on two separate occasions. It was on his second visit that the two engaged in sexual encounter.
Apart from having sex at his student's house, Artl also kissed her in his car on multiple occasions. During the beginning of their relationship the duo exchanged messages through school email. Later their communicated through Snapchat.
According to the investigators, after the enquiry was initiated, Artl allegedly asked the student to block him on Snapchat and 'delete everything.' It was around the same time that she scored 4 out of 8 on a quiz. It was later changed to 8 by the erring teacher.
Artl Asked to Stay Away From Unrelated Minors
8News Now reported that the 37-year-old teacher faces one count of an employee engaging in a sexual relationship with a student over the age of 16 and two counts of preventing or dissuading a person from testifying. According to Clark County School District police, the investigation started in February 2020. It was last week when Artl turned himself into police.
During a hearing held last week, Artl pleaded not guilty through his attorney. A judge ordered the teacher, who was not present in court, to have no contact with minors who are not related to him, reported the Daily Mail. His next preliminary hearing is due on September 23.
Artl's LinkedIn profile describes him as a biology teacher at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts since 2007. Furthermore, the data posted on the website Transparent Nevada revealed his salary of more than $83,500 in 2019.
