A Tennessee elementary school teacher was arrested earlier this month after allegedly abusing her two children in a parking lot. Heather Pecht, a 47-year-old first-grade teacher, was arrested on Friday, December 26, and faces two counts of child abuse and neglect.
According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Pecht is accused of scratching, pinching, and biting her two children at Ruby Falls on Lookout Mountain, a 63-foot waterfall and tourist attraction in Chattanooga.
The children’s father noticed the scratches and scabs when picking them up on December 12. According to a December 22 police affidavit, both children told officers that the mother attacked them after her phone had dropped.
🚨Usual Suspects🚨
First grade teacher charged with abusing her own kids in the Ruby Falls parking lot
🌎CHATTANOOGA, Tenn
Heather Pecht works at Lookout Mountain Elementary School in Hamilton County faces two charges of child abuse. https://t.co/SsGXYWyVTZ pic.twitter.com/A1GhF7UbuD
— J.B. Freedmen (@JayeB62620916) December 29, 2025
“Somehow Heather’s phone ended up in the back seat,” the affidavit stated. “She started screaming at them for the phone, telling them to give her the phone immediately.”
When one of the children was trying to retrieve the phone, they alleged that Pecht began “pinching and scratching” them. Both children escaped the car. The father has received emergency custody of the three children; their ages are unknown, though the affidavit said that the oldest child previously chose to live with the father rather than stay with Pecht.
Pecht was released on a $1,000 bond, and her next court date for the alleged crime is set for January 27. She has no attorney on record, according to court officials. Pecht works as a first-grade teacher at Lookout Mountain Elementary School, and the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that there are no accusations against her as an educator.
As of December 30, there have been no updates regarding Pecht’s employment status. As of publication, Hamilton County Department of Education officials had not responded to the Times Free Press’ email inquiries. School officials, including principal Emily H. Haney, also had yet to comment on Pecht’s arrest as of December 30. It is unclear whether the school is on holiday break—and, if so, when classes would resume.
Facebook users were horrified by the arrest, with one commenter writing, “We’ve got to get tougher laws on cases like this. It’s every day on the news we see another child dying from neglect or abuse.” Another added that they hope that police also contact Lookout Mountain students and their parents.
Founded in 1878, Lookout Mountain High School serves over 175 students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The school’s website boasts that it has been designated a Tennessee Reward School “for being among the top 5% of schools in performance.”
“The Lookout Mountain Elementary vision is one where all stakeholders, working collaboratively, will strive to provide a safe and nurturing environment whereby students can grow into educated, productive, and honorable citizens of the 21st century,” the school’s website says.
Lookout Mountain adds that its mission is “to create a learning environment which allows all students to achieve success by providing them with research-based instruction in the areas of scholarship, leadership, citizenship, and integrity.”
