A New Jersey elementary school teacher was indicted for allegedly abusing a student over the course of several years, while it is also being reported that she gave birth to the boy’s child.
Laura Caron, 34, a former fifth-grade teacher at Middle Township Elementary School, is accused of engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with the student who had been residing in her home, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office said.
The abuse allegedly started when the boy was 11 in 2016 and carried on for four years until 2020 when he was 15.
During this time period, prosecutors said, Caron was employed as a fifth-grade teacher at the Middle Township Elementary School.
Police began their investigation last year after receiving a tip that the victim’s father had made a post on Facebook claiming that Caron’s 5-year-old child looked like his son, Fox 29 reported, citing court documents.
The outlet reported that Caron had taught the victim and at least one of his siblings.
The boy’s family later became friends with Caron and at some point, the victim and his siblings began staying with Caron once or twice a week, before they began living with Caron permanently from 2016 to 2020, the outlet reported.
Court documents also allege that the victim confirmed to police that he was in a sexual relationship with Caron and that he was the father of her young child.
The child was born when the victim was 13 years old.
A friend of Caron’s told The New York Post that the accused threw a baby shower for the child and told friends that the father was “out of the picture.”
Caron was arrested in January, with the grand jury’s indictment coming down last week.
She is now charged with aggravated sexual assault, which carries a penalty of 10 to 20 years in prison, in addition to sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, which each carry potential penalties of five to 10 years, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland announced.
The prosecutor’s office did not mention anything about the child in its press releases.
“These allegations are deeply disturbing, particularly given the position of trust the defendant held in relation to the victim,” Sutherland said.
“Our office remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community and will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who violate that trust,” he added.
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