Who is Amelia Ressler? Georgia teacher caught masturbating in classroom full of kids, charged with molestation
CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA: A Georgia substitute teacher has been jailed for 19 child molestation charges. The Staff at Mt Zion Elementary School, Carrollton, alerted Carroll County investigators on February 5, Friday, regarding allegations of misconduct by a substitute teacher, Carroll County Sheriff's Office reported.
Carrollton resident, Amelia Ressler, engaged in "indecent and immoral acts while in the presence of school-aged children." The 30-year-old was arrested and booked at Carroll County Jail. A bond for Ressler has not been set, according to jail records.
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"We appreciate the dedication Carroll County Schools has for the safety of their students as we were contacted immediately following the allegations and we will continue to work closely with them during the remainder of the investigation," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Carroll County spokeswoman Ashley Hulsey told Fox 5 in an interview that "it appeared [Ressler] was masturbating while the classroom was full of kids." Hulsey explained that investigators were able to obtain video evidence as Ressler "videoed it herself and disseminated it."
She said authorities are in the weeks-long process of conducting interviews with the 19 children who were present in the classroom during the alleged incident. Additional charges could be added based on those interviews, according to Hulsey.
Francis Burns's grandson, who attends school at Mt Zion, said she can't imagine what would bring a teacher to do such a thing. She told CBS46: "She needs to pay dearly. If I had a child in that class, I probably would be in jail tonight. Our kids are our future and when you have someone like that; they sure don't need to be around children."
District Attorney John Herbert Cranford Jr., who is working on investigating the case, could not be immediately reached to clarify if Ressler has obtained an attorney or entered a plea.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.