A 28-year-old woman has gained national attention after publicly calling out the teacher who allegedly sexually abused her. The woman, identified only as "Jamie," says a female middle school teacher began molesting her when she was only 12 years old. Jamie says that through a pattern of manipulation and "brainwashing," the sexual abuse continued until she was 18 years old.
Jamie says that when she finally got the courage to report the abuse, some 10 years after it ended, she found out the statute of limitations had expired for pressing charges against her former teacher. Because she felt she could not get justice from the legal system, she decided to exact her own revenge by confronting the teacher and posting a video of their exchange on YouTube.
In the video, Jamie calls her former teacher and tells her that what she did to her was wrong. She tells the woman that she manipulated her and that she should be "so ashamed and so disgusted" with herself. The former teacher responds, "I am. I am."
After recording their conversation, Jamie uploaded the video to YouTube and sent a link to her former teacher. The woman, who was teaching in a different school system than the one in which the abuse allegedly occurred, immediately resigned.
Police in the jurisdiction where the sexual abuse allegedly occurred have begun an investigation into Jamie's allegations; however, they do not know if any charges are likely to be filed until they determine whether or not any crime was actually committed, and if so, what that crime was. The statute of limitations is different for different offenses, and so even if a crime did occur, it may be too late to file criminal charges.
Learn more about child molestation laws in Oklahoma here.
Remember, there is currently no evidence against the teacher; there is only a verbal accusation. Still, the teacher's actions in admitting regret and her immediate resignation upon receiving the link to the video confrontation seem incriminating. This is one of the reasons it is critical that anyone accused or suspected of a criminal offense does not talk about his or her case to anyone except his or her defense lawyer.
Perhaps the teacher's words of regret and self-loathing are taken out of context. Perhaps she understood the impact such an accusation--one that has gone viral, no less--would have on her career, and she resigned as a preemptive move. Regardless of her guilt or innocence in this case, the best move would have been to hang up on her caller and immediately contact a criminal defense attorney.
