A beautiful math teacher from Missouri was arrested in Texas and accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old high school student.
Hailey Nichelle Clifton-Carmack, 26, of Waynesville, near St. Louis, was arrested Friday in Comal County by the Garden Ridge Police Department.
The sexual assaults are believed to have occurred in Pulaski County, Missouri, about 800 miles from where she was arrested by police.
In a further twist to the case, the teenager's father was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child after it was claimed he knew his son was having a relationship with the teacher.
Court documents say the teen and teacher had sex during school and used other students as “lookouts,” according to KRCG.
Hailey Nichelle Clifton-Carmack, 26, a Missouri high school teacher accused of having sex with a student, was arrested Friday in Texas
The teen's father, Mark Creighton, is accused of knowing about the relationship but not reporting it. He is accused of endangering the welfare of a child
According to court documents, the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department was contacted by the Laquey school resource officer, who reported the relationship to police.
A student came forward and showed law enforcement photos of his classmate with scratches on his back.
The teen said the scratches came from Clifton-Carmack after he had sex with the teacher in the classmate's driveway.
Clifton-Carmack, who has two young daughters of her own, was recently divorced after being married to Chance Carmack.
Investigators visited the school district on Dec. 8 to speak with the teacher and took her phone. But until police got a warrant to unlock it, they couldn't see any incriminating messages.
At the time, Clifton-Carmack denied having any relationships with students outside of school.
After obtaining a search warrant, police found text messages related to the alleged relationship with the 16-year-old boy.
Police were alerted to the alleged relationship between Hailey Clifton-Carmack, 26, and a student after a classmate came forward and showed photos of the teen's scratches
The teacher is said to have been warned in the past not to get too close to the students.
Hailey Nichelle Clifton-Carmack appears in social media photos from 2018
Hailey is pictured with her former husband Chance Carmack. The couple recently separated
The teacher is said to have had sex on school grounds. Pictured: Laquey High School in Laquey, Missouri
The student who came forward to report the relationship said the teacher was “too friendly with students and sometimes dressed inappropriately at school.”
According to court documents, Clifton-Carmack often wore “tight or low-cut shirts” to show off her “headlights.”
She also wore tight leggings that “showed off her body” and was often reprimanded by school administrators for “being too close to students.”
Clifton-Carmack left Missouri around December 23rd to travel to Texas to visit family and had not returned as of January 3rd.
Clifton-Carmack was arrested Friday after fleeing Missouri for Texas.
The Laquey R5 School District teacher was arrested “without incident” and booked into the Comal County Jail. She was charged with sexual contact with a student, second-degree statutory rape, endangering the welfare of a child, child molestation, or being more than four years older than a victim under 17 years old.
The boy's father, Mark Creighton, was arrested in Missouri and charged with endangering the welfare of a child
The teen's father may also face charges because he allegedly knew about his son's alleged relationship with the teachers.
'[Mark] “Creighton knew about the relationship between his minor child and the 26-year-old teacher, and instead of reporting the information, he continued to cover up for her and allow the relationship to continue with the victim while he was present,” court documents state.
He was arrested in Missouri and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Mark Creighton was told he had no contact with Clifton-Carmack.
These charges are punishable by a prison sentence of three to 10 years.
“We have been made aware that criminal charges have been filed against an employee for alleged misconduct,” said Kent Stoumbaugh, superintendent of the Laquey R-5 School District.
“We understand that an indictment is not the same as a conviction and that the employee is presumed innocent until proven guilty.” However, we must emphasize that the alleged misconduct is inexcusable and does not meet the professional standards for District employees.
“The district took immediate action when we became aware of this situation.” An investigation is ongoing. The employee has been away from the district since December 8, 2023 and we do not anticipate her return. We strive to ensure that each individual is treated with respect, kindness and fairness so that everyone feels safe, secure and welcome in our schools.”