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Friday, October 23, 2009

Former teacher indicted on sex charges


MARTINSBURG - A former eighth-grade Musselman Middle School teacher charged earlier this year for allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old student was indicted Wednesday by a Berkeley County grand jury.

Stephanie Jo Walters, 28, of Grindstone Drive, Hedgesville, was officially indicted on one count of sexual abuse by a person in a position of trust, third-degree sexual abuse and solicitation of a minor through use of a computer.

Walters was placed on administrative leave in April and later terminated as a result of the case. She had been employed as a teacher at the school for five years until her termination.

The case was investigated by Sgt. B.F. Hall of the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department's criminal investigations division.

According to court records, the investigation came about after an uninvolved student learned that the 14-year-old male student and Walters were sending one another text messages, leading school officials to believe there was an inappropriate relationship.

Walters allegedly began confiding in a female student about two weeks before she was charged, telling the student that she and the male student made out and she had let him touch her breasts and kiss her.

Records show the male student obtained Walters' phone number at a basketball game in December 2008. The student allegedly said in February that he began receiving texts that were sexual in nature from Walters. The juvenile said Walters sent text messages to him telling him about things she wanted to do to him sexually. The victim also received messages from Walters on his MySpace Internet page, records show.

On April 3, Walters allegedly approached the student and led him to a janitor's closet in the school. The victim stated that they kissed and she allowed him to touch her breasts. According to the complaint, the student did not put his hands under her shirt, and he said Walters touched his chest and arms while they kissed.

Walters remains free on bail while awaiting future court proceedings.

Indictments are merely formal statements of charges and are not evidence of guilt. Those indicted should be considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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