| Updated: 10/18/2012 2:28 pm |
Published: 10/17/2012 6:40 pm
|
A former Prue teacher accused of raping a student is behind bars.
26-year-old Katie Hightower is accused of having a sexual relationship with a high school senior.
The investigation started in Osage County but crossed over into Pawnee County when detectives found out the alleged sexual encounter might’ve happened at the teacher’s home.
"It's unfortunate. It's unfortunate," said Osage and Pawnee County District Attorney Rex Duncan.
He says the teacher clearly crossed the line at Prue High School.
"The age, whether the teacher's a man or a woman, it's just a safe zone and teachers know better," he said.
According to the report, some students noticed something was going on between the teacher and the high school senior when she took them all to a lake. The report says the other students overheard her call him "babe." And that she put her head in his lap before she brought them to her home where she gave the group beer.
"They know there's a line, not to cross it and when it happens they should expect to be prosecuted," Duncan told FOX23.
According to the report, the students also say they heard Hightower and the teen having sex.
"I don't know why you would want to have sex with a teenage boy?" asked Augusta Wyckman.
She was one of the people outside gas station near the school talking about the case Wednesday.
"Not shocked at all," she said.
In August, investigators say out of the 1254 recorded phone calls and text messages, 561 were from the teen Hightower had the alleged affair.
"Teachers do it all the time now a days,” Wyckman told FOX23.
Duncan says he isn't taking any case like this lightly.
"If you're caught you will be prosecuted,” he said. “There will be no exceptions."
Hightower is charged with second degree rape and furnishing alcoholic beverage to a person under 21, a felony.
If convicted she faces 15 years in prison for second degree rape and five years for the alcohol charge.
