Habersham County teacher arrested for alleged sexual relationship with student

Habersham County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Habersham County educator last week.

According to Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell, on Friday, March 19, the Habersham County Sheriff’s office Criminal Investigations Division was contacted by the Habersham County School System regarding a teacher providing her personal cellular telephone number to a student and communications with the student that crossed the professional threshold.

He says, although there was no evidence at the time to suggest anything other than policy and ethical indiscretions by the teacher, the school system wanted to employ every measure to ensure that the student’s safety and well-being were not compromised in any manner.

The investigation, according to Sheriff Terrell, has uncovered that at some point during the ethics investigation or following her resignation, the teacher, identified as 34-year-old Leslie Terrell, progressed the relationship with the student from one of just inappropriate messaging to a physical, sexual relationship.

Based on the evidence collected thus far, Sheriff Terrell says the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office secured warrants for her arrest for several criminal acts.

Those acts include: one count of statutory rape, one count of child molestation, one count of enticing a child, one count of sexual assault by persons with supervisory or disciplinary authority, one count of influencing a witness, one count of false statements, one count of obstruction/hindering law enforcement, one count of distributing obscene materials, one count of electronically furnishing obscene materials to a minor, and one count of interference with custody.

Sheriff Terrell says the investigation remains ongoing.