A teacher has admitted to having a s£xual relationship with a 16-year-old student under a plea agreement that will reduce her prison sentence.
According to The New York Post, Mackenzie Naught, 25, had faced five years in prison after being charged with s£xual misconduct with a minor for romping with the teen from a neighboring school in her truck soon after she started her job teaching first grade at St. John Elementary School.
But the now-fired teacher, who is divorcing her husband, pleaded guilty Friday in a deal that means she now faces a maximum of 12 months in county jail, the Moscow-Pullman Daily News reported.
Whitman County senior deputy prosecutor Tessa Scholl defended the deal, saying the teacher’s admission “represents an important step in holding her accountable for her actions and spares [the victim] the burden of having to testify at trial.”
She was exposed when her husband, an assistant track coach at the high school where the teen studied, reported her to police after she admitted her behavior with the boy.
She initially told cops she didn’t have s£x with the boy – despite her confession to her husband, the Spokesman Journal reported.
But he showed screenshots from his wife’s cell phone, which proved otherwise.
The boy then told cops the teacher started it by “being flirty” — and secretly messaging him while her husband slept, begging him to meet her.
The boy said he was initially hesitant, but eventually agreed — and she asked him to drive to a “little spot” before getting “handsy,” kissing and romping in his truck.
The boy told cops the educator told him to keep quiet amid fears she could lose her job if exposed.
Naught apologized after being busted, admitting her behavior was wrong.
The ex-teacher will be on the s£x offenders register for 10 years under the terms of her plea deal.