Melissa Blair: Tennessee woman, 38, accused of sexually assaulting high school students
Melissa Blair, a 38-year-old lady from Englewood, Tennessee, faces 18 counts of aggravated statutory rape, four counts of patronizing prostitution, and one count of solicitation. Investigators believe she planned sexual contact with young male students at McMinn Central High School and has been charged with more than 20 sex offenses. She was arrested and put into the McMinn County Jail on a $100,000 bond on Tuesday, February 15.
According to a news release from McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy, the indictment stems from allegations that she had illicit sexual contacts with nine underage high school guys. Seven of the nine victims are minors, while the other two are now adults. According to the sheriff's office, the interactions occurred between spring 2020 and late 2021, and Blair used social media to contact the boys, who were all McMinn Central High School students. She set up dates with the boys and traded stuff in exchange for sexual experiences.
READ MORE
Married Oklahoma teacher who had sex with three teenage students charged for rape and sexual battery
After receiving an anonymous letter about the claims against Blair, the McMinn County Sheriff's Office became involved. Detectives from the sheriff's office arrived at Blair's home a few days after receiving the letter to carry out a search warrant. According to the sheriff's office, an investigation was initiated quickly, discovering new information and identifying additional victims. Blair was not a school employee, but she was well-known for her volunteer work at the local school and her membership in the booster club.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Lee Parkison, the director of schools for McMinn County Schools, remarked. "She is involved with clubs and things of that nature just like most parents involved with the school," said Parkison. "She had a student at the school who has since transferred," he continued. She has been barred from school grounds and activities since then.
Sheriff Guy stated the following, "We suspect there may be additional juvenile victims and we encourage them or their parents to contact us. There may possibly be other victims who are now adults, and we also encourage them to contact us."
He continued by saying, "This type of case is difficult and shocking even to us seasoned detectives, and I want to commend our staff for the many hours of identifying, locating, and interviewing victims and their families, as well as the many days of putting together the search warrant subsequent case file. But most importantly we want to offer support and resources to the victim and their parents as we move forward."
District Attorney General Steve Crump of the 10th Judicial District encouraged other parents and victims to come forward as well. "So we can make the fullest amount of justice possible for the most amount of victims," he explained.