A Florida high school teacher has been charged with having sex with a 17-year-old student multiple times on campus.
Heather Mashburn-Smith, 37, was arrested on Wednesday after police received a tip-off that the teacher had had sex with a teenager twice in the past month, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
She then gave a “full, post-Miranda confession” to detectives and was charged with unlawful activity with minors, enhanced to a first-degree felony because she’s a teacher, police said. The age of consent in Florida is 18.
“What this woman has done is not just unlawful, it is damaging to the students and staff around her,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said of the teacher who was also suspended from her job at Port Charlotte High School.
“Teachers are meant to be people that students can trust and seek out for mentorship, guidance, and encouragement,” the sheriff said.
“This individual took advantage of that vulnerability and preyed on one of the people she was entrusted to protect.”
Mashburn-Smith looked crestfallen in a mugshot that also showed her nose piercings. She was suspended from her position at Port Charlotte High School, Charlotte County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Vianello said in a stern statement.
“The actions of this individual are a direct violation of the duty every educator owes to students and families,” Vianello said.
“We will not tolerate anything that compromises student safety. This individual has been placed on administrative leave as we work closely with law enforcement and pursue full accountability,” he added.
Mashburn-Smith was arrested and booked into the Charlotte County Jail, where she was still being processed as of Wednesday.
