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'She stated that she and the Complainant had sex on almost a
daily basis at her home and that they love each other'
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Alexandria M. Vera, an eighth-grade English teacher at
Stovall Middle School in Houston, allegedly told police in April that the
relationship she had with one of her students started through messages on
Instagram -- and had evolved into a great love.
On Wednesday, two months after the police investigation
began and nearly eight months after 24-year-old Vera allegedly started having
sex with the eighth-grader, authorities issued a warrant for her arrest on a
felony charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child. The student is under the
age of 14.
Vera turned herself in at a suburban jail in Montgomery
County and later was released on $100,000 bond, reported the Associated Press.
Court documents filed last week in a Harris County District
Court offer a detailed look into Vera's account of their alleged relationship,
which she purpotedly told police was not only approved but celebrated by the
boy's parents. It wasn't until April, when Stovall principal Elsa Wright got a
tip about Vera, that the school district's police department began
investigating.
The English teacher allegedly admitted to both the principal
and a police officer that she'd been having an ongoing relationship with the
boy for months, court documents show.
The bizarre and layered saga began nearly a year ago, Vera
told police, when she met the boy during summer school in 2015. She said at
first he was ruder, asking for her Instagram account name and sending her a
follow request after she refused to provide it or accept his invitation,
according to court records.
But their interactions picked up in the Autumn, when the
regular school year began and the boy was assigned to one of her eighth-grade
English classes. Vera described for police a period of flirting that she claims
she initially resisted, until the month of September. The teacher said she
became worried when the boy didn't show up to class, so she sent him a message
on Instagram and reminded him to turn in an upcoming assignment.
He replied, according to court documents, and asked for her
phone number. Then the boy asked his teacher if they could hang out.
She said yes.
Vera drove the boy around in her car, she told police, and
they kissed. The next day, when the boy's parents weren't home, she returned
and the two had sex for the first time, the documents claim.
After that, the sexual encounters occurred almost daily,
Vera purpotedly told police.
"She stated that she and the Complainant had sex on
almost a daily basis at her home and that they love each other," police
wrote in the documents.
In January, Vera said she discovered the boy had gotten her
pregnant. When the couple told the boy's family, according to the teacher, they
were ecstatic and supportive.
His parents had known about the relationship since October,
Vera told police, when they came to the school for an open house. Afterward,
she was invited back to their home and introduced to the family as the boy's
girlfriend, documents say. They were "accepting of the relationship,"
Vera told police, and she was welcomed to family gatherings thereafter.
Things began to deteriorate in February, when an unannounced
visit and questioning from Child Protective Services about the relationship
spooked her. Vera denied the relationship and the pregnancy at the time,
documents say, then chose to abort the baby. She did, however, hand over her
cellphone and gave police permission to search it.
Police said they found "many messages" between the
boy and his teacher, confirming much of the story Vera had revealed. In a
separate interview, the boy also admitted to the sexual relationship, police
said.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office told ABC 13
News that the parents could be charged with failure to report child abuse if
they did indeed know about the relationship. The boy's mother is being investigated
by Child Protective Services, the TV station reported.
The Aldine Independent School District issued the following
statement: "Aldine ISD has been made aware that charges have been filed
against a former Stovall Middle School teacher involved in inappropriate
behavior with a male student. When the allegation was made in April, the
teacher was immediately removed from the school and placed on administrative
leave. Aldine ISD Police investigated the incident and turned their findings
over to the Harris County District Attorney's Office. The safety and security
of Aldine ISD's students and staff remains a priority of the school
district."
Wearing a Golden State Warriors T-shirt, Vera was captured
on video leaving the jail Wednesday. When asked about the allegations, she told
reporters she had a lawyer and did not want to comment.
Parents told various local media outlets they were appalled
and shocked by the news.
"When you send your kid to the school, you think
everything will be safe for them," Gerson Bonilla told KPRC 2 Houston.
"But I think this is something that is serious that needs to be
investigated."
One student told ABC 13 News that there was chatter among
the student body about "suspicious behavior" between Vera and the
boy, and that once he saw him grab the teacher's butt.
Another parent, Mary Claycomb, told the TV station she just
couldn't believe the teacher would do this.
"I have chills because of this," she said.
Washington Post
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