Female Teacher Accused Of Sex With Male Student

Woman Was Teacher At Elizabeth High School

POSTED: 5:15 am MST December 19, 2006
UPDATED: 7:46 pm MST December 19, 2006

DENVER -- A 32-year-old female teacher from Parker, Colo., has been arrested and accused of a sexual relationship with a male high school student on a football trip to Glenwood Springs, Colo.

Authorities announced that Darcie Esson was arrested Monday on a felony charge of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

According to investigators, Esson was an English teacher and student council sponsor at Elizabeth High School last month when she accompanied the school's football team for a playoff game against a team from Rifle, Colo. The group stayed in Glenwood Springs.

Police believe the incident occurred on or around Nov. 11, the day of the playoff game.

Esson has been placed on administrative leave and the district said she could be fired as soon as Jan. 11 at a board education meeting.

The school district pointed out that Esson was not traveling with the team, but on her own when the alleged assault took place.

The arrest affidavit alleges that the assault happened in Esson's hotel room as her two young children and a teenage babysitter were asleep in the same room.

The affidavit alleges that the two met in the Glenwood Springs hotel room and that Esson offered the student alcohol and then sexually assaulted him.

In the days after the incident, the student began bragging and a female student eventually told school administrators, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit said the boy's parents found some 120 phone calls and text messages between the two.

"We are saddened by it. We are held to a higher level of trust and are expected professionally to live up to that," said Dr. Bob Neel, superintendent of Elizabeth C-1 Schools.

Esson posted $25,000 bond Tuesday, but opted not to comment on the case.

The affidavit said Esson is divorced and the divorce was made official the day before the alleged sexual assault happened.

Glenwood police credited the Elizabeth and Parker police departments and the Elbert County School District for their roles in the investigation.

"It was noted during our portion of the investigation that school officials acted very quickly and efficiently when word of these allegations came to their attention," Glenwood police said in announcing the arrest.

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