BEDFORD, Ohio — A Bedford High School teacher is facing charges for engaging in sexual acts with two students.
30- year-old Laura Dunker, of Bath, was indicted on six counts of felony sexual battery Thursday, according to the Bedford City School District. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office officially released the indictment on Friday, including an additional felony charge of tampering with evidence.
Police reports indicated that a school resource officer was notified of a potential inappropriate relationship between a female teacher and a male student. At that time, the resource officer reported the information to the detective bureau for further investigation.
On Dec. 4, officials confirmed that the allegations against Ms. Dunker were credible and involved two male students. The sexual encounters allegedly began in November of 2018 and went on for a year, only ending last month.
According to the indictment, at least three of the encounters took place at a park inside Dunker's car, while two more occurred at Dunker's home. She allegedly had sex with one of the students four times and the other twice.
Read the indictment below:
Bedford City School Superintendent Andrea Celico issued a statement to the families and staff at Bedford Schools Thursday afternoon.
"As I previously shared with our community, we immediately put the teacher on leave in order to protect the safety and well-being of our students. The Board of Education accepted her resignation on December 5.
"We offered services for those affected and will continue to offer support to those who may have been impacted by these allegations. As always, our priority is for the care and concern for the student victims and our school community as a whole. Thank you for your continued support and understanding during this difficult time."
If convicted, Dunker could face up to 35 years in prison.