A 37-year-old high school teacher in Florida was arrested Wednesday after admitting to having sex with a 17-year-old male student on two occasions on school grounds, authorities said.
Heather Mashburn-Smith, a teacher at Port Charlotte High School in Charlotte County, provided a full post-Miranda confession to detectives, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said. The incidents occurred on campus within the past month, investigators said.
She faces a charge of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors, enhanced to a first-degree felony because of her position as a teacher, according to the sheriff’s office. Florida’s age of consent is 18.
Mashburn-Smith was booked into the Charlotte County Jail. She has been placed on administrative leave by the school district.
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell condemned the alleged conduct.
“What this woman has done is not just unlawful, it is damaging to the students and staff around her,” Prummell said. “Teachers are meant to be people that students can trust and seek out for mentorship, guidance, and encouragement. This individual took advantage of that vulnerability and preyed on one of the people she was entrusted to protect.”
Charlotte County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Vianello said the district is cooperating with law enforcement.
“The actions of this individual are a direct violation of the duty every educator owes to students and families,” Vianello said in a statement. “We will not tolerate anything that compromises student safety. This individual has been placed on administrative leave as we work closely with law enforcement and pursue full accountability.”
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office affidavit, as reported by Gulf Coast News Now, Mashburn-Smith told investigators she felt “remorseful about the sex because she is married.” The victim also told deputies that after the encounters, Mashburn-Smith said she was “not in a good marriage” and wanted to leave her husband for him once he turned 18.
The reporting states she has two children.
