Female Utah Teacher Accused Of Raping Student

A Utah high school teacher, accused of raping a female student, resigned from her position last week — the same day that prosecutors brought formal charges against her.

Courtney Louise Jarrell, a 22-year-old math teacher at Utah’s Riverton High School, is accused of engaging in sexual activity with a 17-year-old female student ealier this year. On Friday, Jarrell was charged with a first-degree felony count of object rape and a second-degree felony count of forcible sex abuse.

According to Sandy Riesgraf, a spokesperson for Utah’s Jordan School District, Jarrell was placed on administrative leave last month after they received a complaint that accused the teacher of “inappropriate behavior.”

The complaint against Courtney Jarrell was immediately turned over to Utah police, who quickly launched an investigation into the matter.

Prosecutors now allege that the Utah teacher engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with the female student between the months of February and March.

Court documents reportedly indicate that the illegal contact occurred during an encounter at Courtney Jarrell’s Utah home.

According to her attorney, Jarrell claims she is innocent and the allegations against her are false. He contends that she resigned from her position at the school to concentrate on preparing her defense in the case.

Jarrell was relatively new to Riverton High, having only been employed at the school for eight months. In addition to teaching math classes, she also served as coach of the sophomore girls basketball team. The Utah teacher was reportedly well-liked by her students, who expressed surprise following her arrest and resignation.

“Everybody loved her,” student Kathryn Orchard explained to KLS News. “My parents were even way shocked because my parents loved her too. They thought she was a great teacher.”

According to Sandy Riesgraf, the school district has only received one complaint alleging misconduct against Jarrell. At this time, no additional Riverton High School students have come forward with information or reports of abuse.

Courtney Jarrell is reportedly scheduled to appear in court next month. Meanwhile, the former Utah high school teacher has declined to speak publicly after being accused of raping a student.

[Top image via Shutterstock]