Former Macomb teacher allegedly sexually assaulted teen in airplane

A former Macomb County high school teacher was arraigned on multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct on reports that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office.

Rex Phelps, 71, used to teach at Dakota High School in Macomb County and was teaching the 15-year-old about airplanes at the Ray Community Airport at the time of the reported criminal sexual contact, a news release from the Prosecutor's Office said.

A LinkedIn page for Rex Phelps said he is the president of the Experimental Aircraft Association chapter at the airport.

Phelps was arraigned on multiple felonies for reported criminal sexual contact on Monday in a District Court in Romeo. A criminal complaint was filed on similar allegations in federal court last Friday.

Court records from the Romeo District Court indicate the reported incident occurred in October.

Special Agent for the FBI Matthew Hughes said in the criminal complaint in federal court that Phelps touched a 15-year-old girl while "in flight" on her inner thigh and her genitals.

Michigan State Police received a tip some time around the beginning of March that Phelps had sexual contact with a minor, the complaint said. The 15-year-old told authorities that Phelps kissed her for the first time on Jan. 14, when the two flew to Frankenmuth.

Two days later, the 15-year-old girl said Phelps during a flight kissed her multiple times causing the aircraft to get off course, which will be reflected in the recorded flight path.

Later in January the teen said in a statement Phelps would move his hand between her thighs on multiple flights. She said he grabbed her breasts in the airplane hangar in Ray Township and would often ask her sexual questions, asking if she ever put anything in her vagina and told her to delete texts between the two.

The criminal complaint states that upon examining the 15-year-old's phone, deleted text messages were found between Phelps and the girl "discussing being in love" and Phelps telling her to "stick to the story."

Phelps admitted to Michigan State Police that he touched the 15-year-old's inner thigh over her clothes in-flight, but said he didn't touch her genitals. He said he had made plans to have sex with the girl when she turned 16, the age of consent in Michigan, when his wife was away.

Phelps' next court date is scheduled for March 14 in Romeo.