Teacher's aide at a Washington state high school 'had sex with a 17-year-old boy who told deputies the two planned to be together once he turned 18'
- Wendy Wagoner, 49, was charged with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communication with a minor for immoral purposes
- Wagoner resigned from her job after the district launched an investigation
- She was the teacher’s assistant for the student, who had an individualized education plan
- Investigators found sexual text messages between Wagoner and the teen sent during school hours and in the middle of the night
- Although the age of consent is 16 in WA state, for teachers and students it is 21
A teacher's aide at a Washington state high school who ended up having sex with a 17-year-old boy, who then told deputies that the pair planned to be together once he turned 18.
Wendy Wagoner, 49, worked at Graham Kapowsin High School in Pierce County, south of Seattle.
She was charged Thursday with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
The entire relationship was uncovered after a school employee caught Wagoner allegedly kissing the teen last month, according to charging documents seen by the Tacoma News Tribune.
Wendy Wagoner, 49, was charged with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communication with a minor for immoral purposes
Wagoner resigned from her job after the school district launched an investigation
Wagoner was in charge of looking after the teen's 'specialized education plan'.
She has since resigned from her job after the district launched an investigation into the allegations. Wagoner said she 'did not deserve' the probe.
The age of consent in Washington state is 16, but there are several exceptions, including when sexual acts occur between a teacher and a student.
The state Supreme Court has ruled that the law applies to students up to the age of 21.
She was the teacher’s assistant for the student, who had an individualized education plan at Graham Kapowsin High School in Pierce County, south of Seattle
Wagoner has been charged with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communication with a minor for immoral purposes
The teen allegedly told deputies that he and Wagoner planned to be together romantically once he turns 18, although he insisted that he and Wagoner were not having a sexual relationship.
'She is my everything,' the teen said.
In the search for evidence, investigators searched the teen's cellphone and found explicit text messages between the couple. Some of them were apparently sent during school hours.
'I knew what I was doing was wrong, and I'm beating myself up really bad right now,' Wagoner told detectives according to the New York Post.
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Investigators found sexual text messages between Wagoner and the teen sent during school hours, and in the middle of the night
'For a child rape charge, you need a child under the age of 16,' Pierce County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Scott Peters told KIRO.
Peters said several messages show that they had a sexual relationship, but Wagoner was not charged with raping the teen because he was 17 when the alleged contact occurred.
Wagoner allegedly told the teen to delete any record of messages they exchanged.
Wagoner also ignored orders by detectives to stay away from the student multiple times, instead opting to use different phones to continue communicating with the teenager.
A neighbor then reported seeing her hugging the teen last week, deputies said.
Wagoner, of Spanaway, has pleaded not guilty. She was released from Pierce County Jail after posting $50,000 bail.
