A high school math teacher in central Missouri has been arrested in Texas after allegedly fleeing the state over accusations that she had sex with a teenage student.
Authorities said 26-year-old Hailey Nichelle Clifton-Carmack was arrested last week while visiting family near San Antonio, Texas. The Garden Ridge Police Department said in a post on Facebook that she was charged with second-degree statutory rape, endangering the welfare of a child, sexual contact with a student, and fourth-degree child molestation.
Police said Clifton-Carmack was booked into a Texas county jail and is awaiting extradition back to Missouri. She is listed online as a high school math teacher in Laquey, Missouri — about 145 miles southwest of St. Louis.
Court documents allege that a witness reported a sexual relationship between Clifiton-Carmack and another student to a school resource officer, according to ABC 17 News. The outlet reported that the witness was shown photographs by the victim of scratches from the alleged sexual interaction, and also heard a suspicious phone call between Clifton-Carmack and the victim.
Shortly after police obtained messages between the two, a warrant was issued for her arrest and a bond was set at $250,000, according to court documents.
ABC 17 News said the father of the victim was also charged with first-degree child endangerment for allegedly having knowledge about the sexual relationship but not doing anything to intervene. A warrant for his arrest has been issued but it remains unclear if he's been taken into police custody.
