A Florida teacher is accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old student and buying his silence with expensive gifts.
Lauren Angelica King, 32, was arrested March 7 and charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior after sending sexually-charged text messages to a student who she later assaulted.
Before her arrest, the mother of one worked as an Instruction Support Employee at Royal Palm Exceptional Center in Fort Myers, Florida.
According to court documents, King began texting the victim on January 28, giving him her number and instructing him to delete the conversations between them.
Over 4,000 messages were exchanged over a one-month span, police said. Contained within those texts were nude photos and a video of King performing a sex act, police said.
Lauren Angelica King, 32, was arrested and charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior after sending sexually-charged text messages to a student
King, a mother of a young boy, worked as an Instruction Support Employee at Royal Palm Exceptional Center in Fort Myers, Florida, prior to her arrest
She is accused of exchanging thousands of text messages with a 12-year-old student and buying him expensive gifts
King also allegedly asked the student what he wanted for his birthday and promised to bring him money. She later met with him outside school hours and had sex with him in a car outside an apartment complex, police said.
To keep him from speaking up about the abuse, King bribed the child by sending him $235 for his birthday in addition to food and a sweatshirt, authorities said. She showered him in expensive gifts including an iPhone, Beats headphones and a computer.
King also tried to make the boy jealous, telling him she was having sex with other students, documents claims.
The 12-year-old told his family what happened and they reached out to Fort Myers Police on March 3.
Authorities say a relative also called King after finding the boy texting her. She told the family ‘she would quit and leave the area’ within a week.
The student told investigators King inappropriately touched him in the classroom, and she allegedly told the student they would both get in trouble if anyone found out.
She also said, ‘if they ever go through your phone, you’re getting arrested,’ according to court documents.
The 32-year-old was placed on administrative leave when the allegations came to light. As of Friday, the Lee County School District said King was no longer employed.
King allegedly met with the student outside of school hours and had sex in the back of a car
The student told investigators King inappropriately touched him in the classroom, and she allegedly told the student they would both get in trouble if anyone found out
During her court appearance on March 8, a judge implied that there may be other victims, stating that the abuse was not an isolated incident
The 32-year-old was placed on administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation and no longer works for the Lee County School District
Speaking to Fox 4, the victim’s father said he suspects his son ‘feels like he let us down.’
‘But he really doesn’t understand the severity of what’s going on here,’ the father continued.
‘It’s hurtful that I send my child to school and these people that are put into position of authority, that I trust to watch over my children, they return them back to me like this.’
In a statement, Lee County Public Schools said it did not ‘tolerate the alleged behavior’ and noted that King was ‘immediately removed from the school when the allegations were reported pending the outcome of an investigation.’
King was arrested at Enclave Apartments off Central Avenue and taken to the Lee County Jail, where she is being held on a $350,000 bond.
During her court appearance on March 8, the judge overseeing the case raised the possibility of other victims coming forward, claiming it was not an isolated incident.
Faudlin Pierre, a lawyer representing the boy’s family, issued a statement decrying the district for failing to protect its students.
‘The school district of Lee County failed systemically. Schools should be sanctuaries where children feel safe, yet this district allowed a child predator to infiltrate our most vulnerable spaces,’ the statement read.
‘This predator targeted our client, and it was only due to his vigilant parents that she was stopped. The school district bears responsibility for allowing such a dangerous individual near our children.
‘The arrest of Ms. King serves as a grave indictment against the district, and it must own up to its critical failure in safeguarding our students.’
If the 32-year-old bonds out, she will be required to wear a GPS monitor and will be placed under house arrest. She is forbidden from contacting anyone under 18 years old and can only leave her home for court or attorney appointments.
King is expected back in court on April 8.