|
|
|
SHAWNEE, Okla. —
A McLoud teacher who resigned Monday amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct with her students was arrested by Shawnee police Thursday afternoon after authorities retrieved deleted photographs from her cell phone depicting juveniles wearing bras and panties, prosecutors said.
Kimberly Crain, 48, was arrested at her Shawnee home, 4312 Faith Blvd., and taken to the Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center. She was booked into jail on complaints of lewd acts with a child and possession of child pornography, jail records show.
The investigation is ongoing and formal charges have not yet been filed.
After police arrested Crain at her home Thursday afternoon, officers secured the scene to serve a second search warrant at the residence.
She will appear before a judge for a bond hearing Friday, where prosecutors will ask a judge to hold her on a $1 million bond.
Crain was accused of inappropriate conduct when allegations were made that she had students dress in bras and panties to decorate a Christmas tree while attending a party in her home on Nov. 11. Students told police photographs and video were taken. Shawnee police obtained a search warrant Nov. 17 to seize Crain’s computers, cell phones and all storage devices.
District Attorney Richard Smothermon said one of his investigators on Thursday morning was able to use technology to retrieve deleted photographs of the party from Crain’s seized cell phone, with authorities quickly responding and serving an arrest warrant.
“It was photographs from the Christmas party with five to six young girls in bras and panties in various poses,” Smothermon said about a retrieved photo, adding the images could only be described as “sexual in nature.”
Other images not from the Christmas party also were lifted from the phone, he said, calling those “graphic-in-nature.”
Smothermon said this case has now become a joint investigation between Shawnee police and the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s office, state officials and his office.
While the photos retrieved Thursday were on a cell phone, Smothermon said the FBI is still analyzing Crain’s computers that have been seized as part of the ongoing investigation.
“I anticipate federal charges on top of whatever we pursue,” Smothermon said Thursday, adding, “This was not an isolated incident.”
According to the original search warrant, Shawnee Detective Ethan Rieves conducted an interview with one of Crain’s students and her parent and learned that girls attending the pizza party at their teacher’s home were told to go into a bedroom, one-by-one, and dress into Christmas-themed bras and panties that allegedly had words such as “Ho! Ho! Ho!” written on them.
A McLoud teacher who resigned Monday amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct with her students was arrested by Shawnee police Thursday afternoon after authorities retrieved deleted photographs from her cell phone depicting juveniles wearing bras and panties, prosecutors said.
Kimberly Crain, 48, was arrested at her Shawnee home, 4312 Faith Blvd., and taken to the Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center. She was booked into jail on complaints of lewd acts with a child and possession of child pornography, jail records show.
The investigation is ongoing and formal charges have not yet been filed.
After police arrested Crain at her home Thursday afternoon, officers secured the scene to serve a second search warrant at the residence.
She will appear before a judge for a bond hearing Friday, where prosecutors will ask a judge to hold her on a $1 million bond.
Crain was accused of inappropriate conduct when allegations were made that she had students dress in bras and panties to decorate a Christmas tree while attending a party in her home on Nov. 11. Students told police photographs and video were taken. Shawnee police obtained a search warrant Nov. 17 to seize Crain’s computers, cell phones and all storage devices.
District Attorney Richard Smothermon said one of his investigators on Thursday morning was able to use technology to retrieve deleted photographs of the party from Crain’s seized cell phone, with authorities quickly responding and serving an arrest warrant.
“It was photographs from the Christmas party with five to six young girls in bras and panties in various poses,” Smothermon said about a retrieved photo, adding the images could only be described as “sexual in nature.”
Other images not from the Christmas party also were lifted from the phone, he said, calling those “graphic-in-nature.”
Smothermon said this case has now become a joint investigation between Shawnee police and the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s office, state officials and his office.
While the photos retrieved Thursday were on a cell phone, Smothermon said the FBI is still analyzing Crain’s computers that have been seized as part of the ongoing investigation.
“I anticipate federal charges on top of whatever we pursue,” Smothermon said Thursday, adding, “This was not an isolated incident.”
According to the original search warrant, Shawnee Detective Ethan Rieves conducted an interview with one of Crain’s students and her parent and learned that girls attending the pizza party at their teacher’s home were told to go into a bedroom, one-by-one, and dress into Christmas-themed bras and panties that allegedly had words such as “Ho! Ho! Ho!” written on them.
While decorating the tree in the attire, the girls reportedly did a cheer dance, with photos and videos allegedly taken.
Smothermon, who said investigators have been busy interviewing Crain’s recent and former students as part of this case, said he will meet with federal officials once this probe is completed to determine what charges will be best prosecuted locally and which charges should be pursued at the federal level.
Allegations also have been made that Crain, while teaching in her classroom at McLoud, was using Skype over the Internet to have her students visit with an older man known as “Uncle G,” and that Crain allegedly took photos of students posing on desks in the classrooms.
Smothermon said authorities are trying to find out who “Uncle G” is to determine if any images were sent to him.
“You send children to school and expect them to be safe and educated...she had a different lesson plan,” Smothermon said.
This investigation was first launched by Shawnee police Nov. 14. Crain submitted her letter of resignation to the McLoud Board of Education this past Monday.
A civil case connected to these allegations also is pending. According to Pottawatomie County court records, a civil lawsuit has been filed against Crain, but the contents of that petition have been sealed by a judge.
Watch for updates.
