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By Kristin Longley -- The Flint Journal /MLive.com
IMAGE WXYZ-TV 21:47:47 FLINT, Michigan -- An elementary school teacher is accused of having sex with a 12-year-old student at her home while she was supposed to be helping him with homework.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton expects to charge former Flint Williams Elementary teacher Allanah Benton-Wells, 42, today with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under the age of 13, which is a felony punishable by up to life in prison.
Investigators say they believe Benton-Wells had sex with a sixth-grader who was a student in her class on two separate occasions around Halloween of 2007 when she was supposed to be tutoring him. The student's name is being withheld by The Flint Journal to protect his identity.
Benton-Wells denied the allegations Monday through her attorney, Michael B. Haley.
Leyton said the student's mother grew suspicious after she intercepted a phone call between the two. She later notified school administrators, who called the police.
Benton-Wells, who is divorced and the mother of 19-month-old twin sons, had been on paid leave since Nov. 1 but was fired earlier this month, Flint school spokesman Craig Carter said. Carter declined to comment on the expected charges.
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Time line:
• May 2007: Flint teacher Allanah Benton-Wells, 42, files for divorce.
• October: The mother of a 12-year-old student notifies his school that she believes her son and Benton-Wells are involved. Police say Benton-Wells had sex with the student on two separate occasions.
• Nov. 1: Benton-Wells is placed on paid leave.
• Dec. 14: Police interview Benton-Wells' husband, who says he is concerned about his wife's relationship with the student.
• Jan. 14: Benton-Wells' divorce becomes official.
• February: Police request a warrant from the prosecutor. It is sent back for further investigation.
• Aug. 6: Benton-Wells is fired from the Flint school district.
• Today: Prosecutor David Leyton said he expects to charge Benton-Wells with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Leyton said the student's age elevates the seriousness of the alleged crime, which he called "offensive to the norms of our community."
"What she did was not only harmful to the individual student involved but, in a broader sense, it was disruptive and harmful to all the students and staff at Williams Elementary," he said.
Benton-Wells' lawyer said the teacher strongly denies ever having sex with the student and is appealing her termination from Flint schools. She is expected to voluntarily turn herself in to authorities for arraignment this afternoon, Haley said.
He said Benton-Wells helped several students outside of school, and never acted inappropriately.
"She was never alone with the minor," Haley said, adding that her husband or sons were present. "We've been waiting to resolve this and put this behind her."
Leyton declined to comment on the details of the case, but a police report obtained by The Journal under the Freedom of Information Act describes police interviews with witnesses.
One of the student's female classmates said the student told her that Benton-Wells picked him up and took him to her house, where they had sex in the upstairs bedroom, according to the report. The student said Benton-Wells treated him like her boyfriend.
The report also said the student told his mother that he did not want her to go to police because he didn't want Benton-Wells to get in trouble.
Benton-Wells' then-husband told police the student spent the night at their Flint home. He described arriving home at 2:30 in the morning to find the student sitting on the couch without a shirt on. Another time, the student was sitting on the couch with his wife who was wearing a nightgown and no bra.
He also told police that the student called at all hours of the night. The couple divorced in January.
Jonathan M. Hartman, attorney for the student's mother, declined to comment on the case, but said the boy has since left the Flint school district.
Benton-Wells hired in at Flint schools in 1999 and taught various classes at Williams, including kindergarten, drama and fourth grade. She had been a sixth-grade teacher since 2005, according to her personnel file, which also was obtained by The Journal through the Freedom of Information Act.
A 2000 evaluation by the former principal says Benton-Wells' ability to deal with young adolescents is "tremendous," and she maintains a safe and orderly classroom environment. It also says she was "born to teach."
During the investigation, school officials banned Benton-Wells from school activities and school property, according to information in her personnel file.
Courtesy of The Flint Journal |
