Late-night messages, intimacy and intercourse; Elementary school teacher arrested after husband files complaint

WASHINGTON: A teacher was arrested by police following an accusation of sexual harassment of a minor student. Mackenzie Naught (25), a teacher at St. John Elementary School, was arrested in the incident.

The incident came to light after Naught’s husband, an assistant track coach at the high school where the student studied, filed a complaint with the police. During the subsequent police investigation, Mackenzie initially denied having sex with the 16-year-old, but later confessed to the crime during detailed questioning.

The husband reportedly handed over screenshots of mobile phone messages between Mackenzie and the student to the police in connection with the case. The teenager revealed to investigators that Naught used to send him messages late at night and that she was the one who initiated the liaison.

The boy said he was initially hesitant but later agreed at a vulnerable phase. According to the boy, Naught asked him to drive her to a secluded place and then kissed him and later had intercourse. The 16-year-old told officers that the teacher had asked him not to tell anyone about the incident as it would likely put her job in jeopardy.

Naught’s husband filed for divorce following the incident. Meanwhile, there are increasingly worrying incidents of teachers engaging in illegal sexual relations with students in the US. According to the report, more than 500 such cases have been reported between 2014 and 2019. Reports also show that around 350 teachers were arrested in POCSO cases in 2023 alone.