Kristen Gantt, a teacher at Dowling Catholic High School, was detained on Friday, April 14, on suspicion of engaging in an inappropriate connection with a 17-year-old student.
Who Is Kristen Gantt?
The young student who allegedly confided in Kristen Gantt, 36, about family problems is accused of being groomed by the woman, who was charged with two counts of physical exploitation by a school employee. Authorities claimed that Gantt, an English instructor at Dowling Catholic High School, repeatedly engaged in illicit interactions and preyed on vulnerable kids.
According to court documents acquired by NBC station WHO 13, Gantt admitted to having a physical relationship at least five times before turning herself in to police on Friday. The allegedly illicit encounter apparently took place in the classroom after the school day had ended.
The Student And Kristen Gantt Communicated Privately Via Social Media
The text highlighted one text exchange in which the student sent Gantt a picture of himself without a shirt on and asked, “What do you think about this?” to which she replied, “I think you know.” The publication said that the conversations had flirtatious undertones. The source added that they had made arrangements to meet outside the school grounds, but the date was postponed due to inclement weather.
Source: ABC News
“Messages gathered from a variety of sources demonstrate that an ongoing, intimate relationship had existed between the two, involving both inside and outside of school property and numerous electronic platforms.”
Both Captured On Surveillance
Kristen Gantt and the teen were seen alone in a classroom on surveillance footage. According to the Des Moines Register, surveillance video from the school showed Gantt and the student in her classroom alone themselves, behind a locked door with windows covered in paper, just before they were found.
According to reports, school officials gave the video to the police so they could use it in their inquiries. Shortly after the claims surfaced, school administrators allegedly approached Gantt and the youngster, who denied any inappropriate behaviour had taken place between them but admitted that they had exchanged private texts about the boy’s family issues. Gantt was put on administrative leave in accordance with WHO 13 and won’t be going back to school.
