CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Wednesday, a Harding University High School teacher was arrested and charged with taking indecent liberties with a 17-year-old student, officials said.
The arrest happened after some school resource officers notified police about a possible inappropriate relationship between Jasmine Wooten, a 25-year-old social studies teacher at the school, and a 17-year-old male student.
After speaking to the student and interviewing Wooten, detectives got an arrest warrant for the teacher. On Wednesday morning, police arrested and charged Wooten with taking indecent liberties with a student.
According to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, Wooten was released Wednesday afternoon on a $50,000 unsecured bond.
She is currently suspended with pay.
The age of consent in North Carolina is 16, but officials with Pat's Place - a child advocacy center - said the developmental stage that affects someone's ability to make decisions isn't really finished until age 24 or 25. That means these kinds of situations could be detrimental to a child.
“There could be feelings of depression, anxiety, or fear of interacting with people their own age after having something like this happen. Shame, guilt, wondering if they caused this or if it was their fault," explained Ann Glaser, the Chief Program Officer.
She also says parents should be aware of changes in behavior, the desire to spend a lot of one-on-one time with an adult, or a child knowing about things that are above their developmental age.
Wooten was scheduled to appear in court March 14, but her attorney made an appearance on her behalf.
Her next court appearance is April 2nd.
Police are asking anyone with information to call 704-432-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.
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