UPDATE: Tacoma Teacher Meredith Powell Pleads Not Guilty in Latest Sex Charge

Former Lincoln High School teacher Meredith Powell pleaded not guilty Tuesday, April 8, 2014, to an additional charge stemming from her alleged sexual misconduct with students. DEBBIE CAFAZZO — Staff writer

The News Tribune‘s Debbie Cafazzo is the local reporter covering this case, it looks like she went to the arraignment, which was held in Pierce County Superior Court early this afternoon.

According to court documents, a trial date has been set for June 12th, 2014, unless another there’s another continuance, for example, if another students steps forward and new charges are added. A jury trial was originally scheduled for April 24th, but was granted a continuance after the 4th student came forward. Today Powell entered a plea to the new count of sexual misconduct in the second degree.

For the record, this is what Meredith Powell was reported to be charged with. RCW 9A.44.096 –  Sexual misconduct with a minor in the second degree. (more after the jump) The following is from today’s News Tribune:

Debbie Cafazzo reports: Former Lincoln High School teacher Meredith Powell pleaded not guilty Tuesday to an additional charge stemming from her alleged sexual misconduct with students.

[See Boy-Crazy Tacoma Math Teacher Meredith Powell: FORTH Student Comes Forward to Allege Sexual Misconduct]

Supporters of former Lincoln High School teacher Meredith Powell surround her in the hallway of the Pierce County Courthouse after she entered a plea of not guilty Tuesday, April 8, 2014, to an additional charge stemming from her alleged sexual misconduct with students. DEBBIE CAFAZZO — Staff writer

[Flashback: Meredith Powell in Custody of Her Mother: Boy-Crazy High School Teacher Accused of Rape Resigns]

The 24-year-old former Tacoma math teacher pleaded not guilty Feb. 7 to two counts of third-degree child rape and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

Scene: Meredith Powell is alleged to have engaged in oral sex with two of her students in her classroom here at Lincoln High School in Washington

Those charges were based on allegations that she engaged in sexual acts with three of her male students, ages 15 to 17, earlier this year….(read more) The News Tribune

Dear God! http://t.co/LUDYk90FHR Take the plea bargain! @punditfap@instapundit

— Robert Stacy McCain (@rsmccain) April 9, 2014

Robert Stacy McCain has posted news and comments about this Tacoma teacher, as well as faithfully tracking similar, less-reported adult female sex predator cases that have been tumbling out in just the last few months, inconveniently interrupting the male-predator #RapeCulture narrative. Here’s McCain’s summary of why this case gets more attention:

Having recently written several items (e.g., “She Craved the Taste of Boy Flesh,” Jan. 12, and “Police: Ex-Teacher Tonya Drueppel, 33, Had Sex With 13-Year-Old ‘Girlfriend’,” Jan. 30) about sex-crime cases involving female teacher, I notice that this latest case in Tacoma is getting more media coverage than most, with reports at the Daily Mail, Daily Callerand NY Daily News. This can be explained simply: (a) the accused teacher is a skinny young blonde with a nice smile, (b) she seems to have had a habit of posting selfies on Facebook and Pinterest, providing lots of photo potential, and (c) the affidavit offers lurid details.

RCW 9A.44.096

Sexual misconduct with a minor in the second degree.

(1) A person is guilty of sexual misconduct with a minor in the second degree when: (a) The person has, or knowingly causes another person under the age of eighteen to have, sexual contact with another person who is at least sixteen years old but less than eighteen years old and not married to the perpetrator, if the perpetrator is at least sixty months older than the victim, is in a significant relationship to the victim, and abuses a supervisory position within that relationship in order to engage in or cause another person under the age of eighteen to engage in sexual contact with the victim; (b) the person is a school employee who has, or knowingly causes another person under the age of eighteen to have, sexual contact with an enrolled student of the school who is at least sixteen years old and not more than twenty-one years old and not married to the employee, if the employee is at least sixty months older than the student; or (c) the person is a foster parent who has, or knowingly causes another person under the age of eighteen to have, sexual contact with his or her foster child who is at least sixteen.

(2) Sexual misconduct with a minor in the second degree is a gross misdemeanor. (3) For the purposes of this section: (a) “Enrolled student” means any student enrolled at or attending a program hosted or sponsored by a common school as defined in RCW 28A.150.020, or a student enrolled at or attending a program hosted or sponsored by a private school under chapter 28A.195 RCW, or any person who receives home-based instruction under chapter 28A.200 RCW. (b) “School employee” means an employee of a common school defined in RCW28A.150.020, or a grade kindergarten through twelve employee of a private school under chapter 28A.195 RCW, who is not enrolled as a student of the common school or private school.

[2009 c 324 § 2; 2005 c 262 § 3; 2001 2nd sp.s. c 12 § 358; 1994 c 271 § 307; 1988 c 145 § 9.]

Related articles

• Meredith Powell in Custody of Her Mother: Boy-Crazy High School Teacher Accused of Rape Resigns, Surrenders Teaching Certificate (punditfromanotherplanet.com)
• The Meredith Powell Letter: “Obviously nothing physical or emotional ever happened between (the boy) and I, nor would it ever…” (punditfromanotherplanet.com)
• New charge for Tacoma teacher accused of having sex with students (mynorthwest.com)
• Meredith Powell, Washington High School Teacher, Accused of Sex with Students (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Meredith Powell: Latest in the Long Line of Child Molesting Teachers (iowntheworld.com)
• Libido Update: Boy-Crazy Teacher Meredith Powell Raped Tacoma Teenagers, Police Say (punditfromanotherplanet.com)
• Behind the math class door: High school teacher admits to classroom sex with two students (dailycaller.com)
• Out of the Shadows: Organization of Female Teachers Dedicated to Woman-Boy Love Pledge Legal Support to Meredith Powell (punditfromanotherplanet.com)
• K-12 IMPLOSION UPDATE: Boy-Crazy Teacher Meredith Powell Raped Tacoma Teenagers, Police Say. Rem… (pjmedia.com)