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Tuesday, February 7, 2012
A Williams Intermediate School teacher resigned Monday after being accused of having sex with a juvenile.
Dr. Bobby Hathcock, superintendent of Pell City schools, said former Williams Intermediate School teacher Heather Rich Whitten resigned late Monday. Her resignation is effective Friday, the day she was arrested by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff’s Department Investigator Owen Walton said Whitten, 38, of Pell City was arrested late Friday and charged with the second-degree rape of a juvenile boy.
Authorities said Whitten was released from the St. Clair County Jail on a $5,000 bond shortly after her arrest.
Walton said Whitten’s arrest came after a report was filed Friday with the Sheriff’s Department. Whitten was arrested Friday evening.
District Attorney Richard Minor would not comment about the case, but said someone is charged with second-degree rape if they have sexual intercourse with a child younger than the age of 16 but older than 12.
Authorities were tight-lipped and would not comment on details of the case.
Hathcock said he was limited to what he could say about the former teacher.
“Legal constraints prevent me from commenting on personnel matters while they are under investigation,” Hathcock said in a prepared statement released Monday. “Our practice in every case where there are allegations of professional misconduct is to thoroughly investigate and deal appropriately with the situation once all the facts are known.
“As part of the process, we act to make sure the public interests — the welfare of our students and staff — are assured while the legal rights of the employee are respected. We have taken the appropriate steps in this matter.”
Hathcock said a substitute teacher was teaching Whitten’s fifth-grade classes Monday.
“The employee is no longer on campus,” he said.
Hathcock said Whitten was initially suspended without pay, pending a termination hearing, but she tenured her resignation late Monday.
According to the Williams Intermediate School website, Whitten was a fifth-grade reading and language arts teacher.
Prior to teaching at Williams Intermediate School, Whitten taught fourth-grads for three years at Eden Elementary School.
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Keywords: Pell City,Teacher,Rape,
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