Former Dale teacher faces rape charge after alleged encounter with student
A former elementary school teacher for Dale Public Schools (DPS) was formally charged with first-degree rape Tuesday and turned herself in on Thursday afternoon.
She is accused of having an inappropriate sexual encounter with an 18-year-old high school student while she was a teacher at the district in 2020.
According to the felony filing, Sarah C. Sellers, 39, is charged in Pottawatomie County District Court. She is accused, between March 1, 2020 and May 15, 2020, at Dale Public Schools, "of engaging in sexual intercourse" with a student who was under the age of 20, the filing alleges, noting that Sellers was an employee of Dale Schools during that time.
The arrest warrant was also issued Tuesday.
Charges are the result of an investigation by the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office.
According to Deputy Amber Soule, the lead investigator on this case, Sellers is accused of having a sexual relationship with her former student aide in March or April of 2020.
The investigator said the student, who was a senior at the time of the alleged incident, disclosed the nature of his relationship to law enforcement in September of 2021.
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The student was 18-years-old, Soule said, but under Oklahoma State Statutes, from the ages of 16 to 20 years old, if they are still a student and have a sexual relationship with an educator in the same school system, it's considered first-degree rape regardless of the student's age.
Soule's investigation took about a month and a half and she said she initially discovered the case when an another deputy informed the District Attorney's office of allegations regarding Sellers and an alleged relationship with a different student.
"I reached out to our School Resource Officer who had actually already investigated it (in April of 2021) but it was actually involving another student," Soule said. "He investigated it (and) interviewed (Sellers)."
Soule explained the SRO's investigation in April of 2021 did not lead to substantiated evidence of a relationship between Selllers and that student.
"When it came to me we found out about the (additional) student now and I reached out to the parents and he came in for an interview and disclosed everything," Soule said.
The deputy explained the name of the student involved in the current charge came up in the SRO's initial investigation, but by that time, the former student aide had already graduated. However, Soule said, Dale Schools contacted that student's parents and notified them to contact law enforcement.
Soule explained she reached out to the family and the student came in to disclose what happened.
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The investigator said she also contacted the other former student from the school resource officer's 2021 investigation and he denied anything happening.
According to Dale Superintendent Ky Wilkins, Sellers began teaching at the district in August of 2014 and she resigned from Dale Schools on July 19, 2021.
During her time at Dale, he said Sellers taught Pre-K, kindergarten and first grade.
During her investigation of 2020 events, Soule said she discovered Sellers had added the former student aide on SnapChat.
"There were conversations that were innocent conversations throughout the school year," Soule said. "Nothing was ever sexual throughout the school year and then around March or April (2020) she had actually asked him to come to her (classroom) to help grade papers."
It was then that the alleged encounter occurred, the deputy said.
Last summer was when that student's parents learned of the alleged relationship between Sellers and their son, she said, nearly a year after the alleged incident.
At this time, no other victims have come forward.
This is a developing story which will be updated as new information is presented.
Check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on The Shawnee News-Star: Former Dale school teacher faces first-degree rape charge
