Married Georgia school administrator, 43, faces sex crimes charges after she ‘raped underage students and harassed children with alcohol at Halloween party’.
- Rachelle Terry, 43, has been charged with statutory rape and serving alcohol to a minor
- Terry has been accused of having sex with a student at a Halloween party earlier this year
- She was arrested on November 22 and is being held in the Murray County, Georgia Jail
A Georgia school administrator has been charged with sex crimes after she allegedly raped a student and gave alcohol to others during a Halloween party.
Rachelle Louise Terry, 43, faces 10 counts of giving alcohol to a minor at this year’s party and having a sexual relationship with one of the youths.
Terry is the director of enrollment, data collection, and federal programs for the Murray County, Georgia school system.
She is paid around $110,000 a year and has been in that position for around 22 years. She turned herself in and was taken into custody on Wednesday 23 November.
She has since been held at the Murray County Jail, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The age of consent in Georgia is 16 – any child under this age cannot consent. The ages of the students involved in her case are not known.
Terry, who works for the Murray County school system, is paid around $110,000 a year
Terry was taken to the Murray County Jail, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Terry (centre) was photographed on the night of the Halloween party
An investigation began Nov. 9 when Sheriff Jimmy Davenport received a report about minors being offered alcohol at a Halloween party, The Dalton Daily Citizen reported.
Davenport told the local paper he was contacted by Murray County Schools Superintendent Steve Loughridge about the party after a parent lodged a complaint.
Terry pleaded guilty to five counts of purchasing alcoholic beverages for a minor and five counts of contributing to a minor’s delinquency.
Terry lives in Chatsworth, Georgia. It is not clear where the party took place or where she is accused of administering the alcohol
The party was investigated after a parent filed a complaint, Sheriff Jimmy Davenport said
Terry ‘was placed on paid administrative leave after returning from Thanksgiving break’
Terry has been held at the Murray County Jail since her arrest on November 22 (pictured).
To avoid potential conflicts of interest, the case has been escalated to the Conasauga County Attorney’s Office, Davenport told Daily Citizen.
She “was placed on paid administrative leave upon returning from the Thanksgiving break and prior to her Wednesday night arrest,” said Murray County Schools communications coordinator Derichia Lynch.
“Because she is under contract, her leave must be paid for until a hearing can be held,” she added.
Conasauga DA Bert Poston confirmed that his office conducted the party’s investigation.
“Sheriff Davenport asked me to lead the charge, so my Murray County investigator conducted this investigation and filed these charges,” he said.
“The GBI will not intervene in these circumstances to investigate the misdemeanor charges, so we have agreed to look into that now that the original complaint is received.”