Teacher accused of sex with student

[Mark]

A Delaware high school teacher has been charged with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student.

38-year-old Charles Coursey of Milton, Del. is a teacher at Sussex Technical High School in Georgetown, Del.
Delaware State Police say school administrators contacted them Wednesday alerting them to the alleged relationship.

Police determined that the relationship had been going on since the beginning of the month. It involved alleged meetings between Coursey and the victim at various locations in Sussex County.

Coursey was arrested and charged with 3 counts of sexual abuse of a child and 4 counts of unlawful sexual contact.
He is being held at the Sussex Correction Center on $17,000 secured bail. source

[longnecker]

Is it my imagination or are we getting more of this in Lower Sussex than other area?

[Tralee]

Is it my imagination or are we getting more of this in Lower Sussex than other area?

Nah - it's all over, my question is, is it happening more now or are we just hearing about it more? You know, 24/7 news cycle and all. The strangest thing is all the women doing this lately! Weird for sure.

[Panama Girl]

Is it my imagination or are we getting more of this in Lower Sussex than other area?

Maybe because there's nothing better to do than screw?

Nah - it's all over, my question is, is it happening more now or are we just hearing about it more? You know, 24/7 news cycle and all. The strangest thing is all the women doing this lately! Weird for sure.

Well, that, and maybe because women are acting more on their impulses or are being less careful.

True equality: acting stupidly no matter what your gender.

[LozerBoozer]

What is it with these older people having sex (raping) kids???!?!!!!

[hockey]

Men have been getting young booty forever... nothing new there.

The problem I have with this situation is the teacher is in a position of power over this teen. There are certain situations that, I believe, an older man (or woman) can easily take advantage of a naive mind.... consensual or not. Teachers, doctors, police, bosses, judges, landlords, .... basically any situation where the younger party has something to lose i.e.: job, grades, arrests/tickets, meds or diagnosis', monetary favors, etc).

There is a lot more evidence these days showing the importance of having good, caring teachers in primary schools that lead to successful adults. There is also the notion that parents expect their kids to be kept safe in their schools... we relinquish this idea for eight hours a day, five days a week, nine months a year for twelve years. It's breaking a trust, a code that parents need to have in order to let go of their children. Teachers, principals and school staffers have to show responsibility for the safety and demonstrate the proper guidance kids need. Schooling is all about bettering kids' futures.

Clearly, this teacher was not handling this responsibility. Even if this was a consensual, it's not in the teens best interest.... it's selfishness of the teacher, imo.

[EpicWin]

Must be a slower lower thang...

[Joe Walther]

I clipped the top and middle of this to save some space. There is no disputing the things you've said. However, I'd like to clarify a possible misconception on the part of some people--not so much on your part; you're married to a Delaware State trooper.

Clearly, this teacher was not handling this responsibility. Even if this was a consensual, it's not in the teens best interest.... it's selfishness of the teacher, imo.

By legal definition, there is NO such thing as "consensual" when it comes to sexual engagement with someone below the statutory age. This young woman could have screamed "YES" to the four corners of the globe, but it would not have LEGALLY mitigated this teacher's behavior. As one below the statutory age of consent, she lacked the legal capacity to give it. He committed a crime; "I didn't mean to" means nothing.

In this case, had she lied about her age... even to the point of admitting it under oath, he'd still not be able to use it as a defense. He's a teacher who had access to student records. He could have easily verified her age. And, he has another problem: a 21-year differential in their ages.

Since the dawn of modern civilization, well-intentioned parents have taught their children that it's a sin to think evil of others. But, at the same time, history has always been replete with experiential evidence that it's not always a MISTAKE.

[Panama Girl]

Maybe she has fake ID?

All silliness aside, Joe, I thought 16 was legal in DE?

[hockey]

Sorry Joe. I should've replaced the word "consensual" with the word "willing". I was totally thinking of her agreeing to this. My bad.

And PG.... the main issue here is the age difference and her being a minor.

I know Joe would be way better at explaining this. Being married to a cop def doesn't give me an advantage on the laws... not even close. I just really enjoy googling for answers. ;-)

[Joe Walther]

Maybe she has fake ID?

All silliness aside, Joe, I thought 16 was legal in DE?

PG, Delaware is one of the toughest criminal codes in the country to search. Unless you use PRECISE wording in the search routine or you know the exact code reference number, you’re going to come up with enough legalese to keep you busy for decades. And, even if you find what you’re looking for, you’ll have to wind your way through a maze of legal mumbo-jumbo aimed specifically at redefining “IS.”

Anyway, they charged this defendant with sexual abuse of a child and unlawful sexual conduct. The former charge is the primary one and it's inclusive of any other parts of the code (I've listed them in red).

Delaware code § 776 defines the matter of age of consent as follows:

§ 776. Continuous sexual abuse of a child; class B felony.

(a) A person is guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child when, either residing in the same home with the minor child or having recurring access to the child, the person intentionally engages in 3 or more acts of sexual conduct with a child under the age of 18 years of age over a period of time, not less than 3 months in duration.

(b) Sexual conduct under this section is defined as any of those criminal sexual acts defined under § 768, § 769, § 770, § 771, § 772, § 773, 777A, § 778, § 778A or § 1108 of this title.

(c) To convict under this section, the trier of fact, if a jury, need unanimously agree ONLY that the requisite number of acts occurred, not on which acts constitute the requisite number.

(d) Continuous sexual abuse of a child is a class B felony.

[Joe Walther]

Being married to a cop def doesn't give me an advantage on the laws... not even close.

WHAT??? Are you telling me that he doesn't give you a daily criminal law and procedures quiz?

[M.Opaliski]

There are several statutes in Delaware Code that govern sexual offenses, some deal with age only and others with force or coercion. It's pretty extensive when you get into it. There are four degrees of Rape and a multitude of other offenses, again it's extensive, lots of minutia.

The age of consent as per Delaware Code, that's the lowest age in which a person is legally able to consent to sexual act is 12 years old, and that's with someone no more than fours years older, i.e., 12 and 16, 13 and 17, et al.

At 16 a person can consent to a sexual act with someone up to the age of 29, unless the two are married in which case the maximum age is irrelevant.

A person under 18 years old can never consent to a sexual act with someone that's in a position of trust or authority. That designation carries a string of possible situations where a person can qualify as defined as being in a position of authority such as teachers, clergy, and so on.

Read Title 11, Chapter 5 § 761 through § 780.

[hockey]

WHAT??? Are you telling me that he doesn't give you a daily criminal law and procedures quiz?

Thankfully no! I just wish there was a law for stupidity, his job would be a lot easier.

He only relays the most ridiculous things he deals with because he knows I have a twisted sense of humor.

Too bad everyone knows everyone in this speck of a state or I could have a very entertaining thread here.

[cracker]

This kind of ish happened at Sussex Central ALL THE TIME when I was there.

[hockey]

This kind of ish happened at Sussex Central ALL THE TIME when I was there.

You mean teachers having sex with students? How long ago was this (not that it makes it any better)? This is pretty sad.... did the students get compensated, like better grades for sleeping with the teachers or was it like a cool thing to do?

You don't have to answer or give specifics.... I don't want you to risk exposure. It's just a curious and disturbing situation.

[longnecker]

This kind of ish happened at Sussex Central ALL THE TIME when I was there.

Still hearing this regularly. Sad part is after some of these folks are let go it is proven or admitted by acuser to be wrong. But the teacher or trainer has it on their record when looking for employment.

[cracker]

You mean teachers having sex with students? How long ago was this (not that it makes it any better)? This is pretty sad.... did the students get compensated, like better grades for sleeping with the teachers or was it like a cool thing to do?

You don't have to answer or give specifics.... I don't want you to risk exposure. It's just a curious and disturbing situation.

Teachers drinking with students, sleeping with/ dating students, etc. I'm honestly surprised that more people haven't been caught.

[Bellicose]

Hey all I know is if my High School English teacher said she wanted to do something with me, without getting better grades. I may have been all for it! She was from Austria and she was pretty hot, had a little bit of the accent too.