A high school nurse in Kennett, Missouri is in police custody after allegedly having a sexual relationship with one of the school’s students, Ledger-Enquirer News reported.
Kennett Police Department says that Candice Elizabeth Johnson sexually assaulted the 15-year-old over 12 times over the course of four months, usually at a Super 8 motel. In an interview with the police, the teenager claims that he and the 26-year-old began meeting up for sex in October, after sending each other sexually explicit photos months beforehand. According to an affidavit obtained by The Kansas City Star, “Johnson talked about having a future together and [the student] had hung out with Johnson and her son.”
On January 26th, officials at Kennett High School interviewed the victim and other witnesses after being told that a nurse was having intimate encounters with a student. Days later, the school’s principal notified authorities. On January 31st, Johnson reached out to police by phone, but refused to turn herself in. She was found hiding at her mother’s house the next day, and Kennett Police Department officers made the arrest.
Candice Elizabeth Johnson has been charged with second-degree statutory rape and sexual contact with a student. She was later released on a $40,000 bond. Johnson has since been ordered to to avoid contact with anybody under the age of 18, and has been placed on a leave of absence.
Johnson is the second Kennett High School employee within the year to be arrested for having a sexual relationship with a student. 24-year-old Lindsey Marshall, a Spanish teacher, was arrested two weeks prior, and was charged with two counts of sexual contact with a student.