Who is Rene Carter? Montana school teacher pleads guilty to having sex with student up to 25 times
MISSOULA, MONTANA: A former high school teacher from Montana, Rene Carter, who was charged with statutory rape of a student in 2015 has now pleaded guilty to felony criminal endangerment, after allegedly having sex with her victim up to 25 times. When the investigation probe started initially, she was charged with three counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent.
Carter who previously taught at Capital High School entered an Alford plea to the felony charge of criminal endangerment. According to a report by KTVH, under the Alford plea, the former female educator does not admit to being guilty but if the pieces of evidence are presented at trial, it would likely lead to a conviction.
As part of the agreement, the Department of Justice dropped two additional rape charges and amended the first rape charge. The agreement declared that the criminal endangerment was not the result of an alleged sexual relationship but of a situation which "created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury," to the victim. In entering the plea agreement, prosecutors mentioned Carter’s lack of past criminal record, statements from the victim and acknowledged steps she has taken since charges were filed the BillingsGazette reports. Carter made her initial court appearance in March 2018, after that, her case got delayed more than five times in the intervening years since that appearance.
For the criminal endangerment offense, Carter was given a three-year partial sentence and was asked to remain on probation during that time. All standard conditions will be placed on Carter and she has been ordered to pay $80 in fees. She is not supposed to pay any restitution, but the victim can pursue damages charges against her.
The teacher was accused of statutory rape after an alleged video of her engaging in inappropriate contact with the student on June 8, 2015, surfaced online. A complaint filed by Helena police alleged that Carter repeatedly had sexual encounters with the student between February 2015 and June 2015. According to Law & Crime, Carter began having sex with her student victim when he was 17-year-old. The student revealed that he and his teacher had made vague plans after their sexual encounters about officially getting together as a couple after he turned 18.
The case first came to the police's attention when Capital High School Principal Brett Zanto brought the revealing video to police attention. Though initially denying any sexual relationship with Carter, the student eventually admitted to having sex with her up to 25 times. The student was over Montana’s age of consent at the time of the alleged crimes but unable to legally consent and so the victim hasn't been identified on record.
According to Carter's husband, the student was physically abusive with her and accused him of having continuously pinched her on her arms and of pulling her hair, leading to Carter undergoing, ‘necessary counseling.’