Who is Rachelle Terry? School admin charged for raping minor after plying group with alcohol at party
Warning: This article contains information about child sexual abuse and can be triggering to some readers. Discretion is advised.
MURRAY COUNTY, GEORGIA: Rachelle Terry, 43, a school administrator from Georgia, has been arrested and charged with ten counts of giving alcohol to minors during a Halloween party and engaging in a sexual relationship with one of her underage students.
According to Daily Mail, Terry is the director of enrollment of Data Collections and Federal Programs for the Murray County school system. Terry is a well-paid employee with a salary of $110,000 per year. Meanwhile, she has been rendering service in the system for 22 years.
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Terry appeared in front of the police during the investigation and was immediately taken into custody on Wednesday, November 23. The age of the consent with whom she engaged in a sexual relationship is 16. Meanwhile, the ages of the students to whom she offered alcohol are not yet disclosed. The investigation against the administrator got popularized when The Dalton Daily Citizen reported that some students were given alcohol during a Halloween party. Meanwhile, one of the parents of the affected students complained to the school authorities regarding the party. Murray County Schools Superintendent Steve Loughridge contacted Sheriff Jimmy Davenport to investigate the same.
However, the case was later on transferred to Conasauga District Attorney's Office to avoid conflicts at a later point. District Attorney Bert Poston said to Fox News, "We did so and ultimately took charges of furnishing alcohol to minors (5 counts) and contributing to the delinquency of a minor (5 counts)." Further, he added, "During the course of that investigation, information came to light that we turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and asked them to follow up on, which led to the additional charges of statutory rape and child molestation."
A school spokesperson told Fox News, "These are extremely serious charges. The safety and well-being of our students are always a top priority for Murray County Schools." Derichia Lynch, the communications coordinator for Murray County Schools, told Daily Mail, "She is placed on administrative leave with pay upon return from the Thanksgiving break and prior to her Wednesday night arrest. Because she is under contract, her leave must be with pay until a hearing can be conducted."
Poston also stated, "Sheriff Davenport asked me to take the lead on that so my investigator in Murray County conducted that investigation and took those charges. The GBI will not come in to investigate misdemeanor charges under those circumstances, so we agreed to take a look at it after the initial complaint came in."