Montrose Christian Teacher Arrested for Sex Offenses
Police say Ashley Jean Campbell had sex with a 16-year-old student.
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A Pennsylvania woman who taught at Montrose Christian School was arrested Thursday and is accused of having sex with a 16-year-old student, county police said in a news release.
Ashley Jean Campbell, 27, of the unit block of Thompson Road in Cochranville, Pa., turned herself into county police on Thursday morning, the release said. She was released after posting $250,000 bond, according to online court records.
Campbell is charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of committing a fourth-degree sex offense.
Information about an attorney or court date for Campbell were not immediately available.
Montrose Christian released a statement on Thursday announcing that Campbell no longer taught at the school.
WJLA.com posted the statement from school chancellor Ken Fentress.
Campbell was listed as a kindergarten teacher on the website of the school, which teaches students in kindergarten through 12th grade, The Gazette reported. Her name had been removed from the faculty list on the site by late Thursday afternoon.
A county police spokeswoman told The Gazette that Campbell “admitted to the charges during an interview with detectives.”
Police say Campbell was involved in a sexual relationship with a male student for more than a year. Montrose Christian received an anonymous email alleging the relationship on Friday, according to the release. That same day, school officials called the Montgomery County Police Family Crimes Division, which started an investigation, the release said.
Detectives talked with the boy and learned that Campbell would drive him in her vehicle to a park in the county after school hours where they would have sex, police said. This went on between fall 2010 and last month, the release said.
This is the second time in a week that a teacher at a Rockville school has been arrested on charges of having sex with a student. Last week, a Rockville man was arrested and charged with having sex with a 16-year-old girl who he had taught at Julius West Middle School teacher and coached at Richard Montgomery High School.
JW's Mom
12:14 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Ms. Campbell was an excellent teacher at Montrose and will be sorely missed. While we've all made poor decisions in our lives, this incident is not ours to judge. Overall, Miss Campbell is a sweet person with a wonderful heart & spirit...& that will never change. God is a forgiving God & obviously has other plans for her future. While I feel for her during this trying time, I wish her nothing but best wishes in her future endeavors. My personal message to her is "What does not destroy me makes me stronger." and thank you for educating my child---your personal life is just that, personal.....Professionally, you rocked!!! Keep your head up! We will miss u.
renee
12:45 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
professionally, she overstepped boundaries with a Montrose student. Just because the student was not in her classroom, does not mean she was professional. I pray for restoration in her relationship with God and that both families stay encouraging during this process.
Pedsfs
7:53 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Child sexual abuse is not someone's "personal life" and it is not the result of "overstepping boundaries".
Temperance Blalock
10:11 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
This incident IS ours to judge. She committed a felony crime, and it is one of the most heinous types in our society: sexually exploiting vulnerable children. She is not better than Jerry Sandusky, just because she's pretty and charming.
Jeff Hawkins
10:26 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Wow.....the first two comments are well...... kind of creepy......almost as shocking as the crime itself. They tend to lend credence as to how these things happen in the first place.......spooky stuff..
Theresa Defino
10:28 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
How about the contrast in reaction to Mr. Spear's alleged crime? Why no similar support for him? This woman may have been having sex with a 14-year-old if it went on for 2 years...throw in the religious element and "prayers" for her--not the victim--and it is just makes one want to barf.
Jeff Hawkins
10:57 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Good points Theresa and "amen" to the "barfing reaction".
Brigitta Mullican
10:47 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
One would think that this type of act would not happen these days especially with the publicity this news gets and the lives it ruins. Guess it is all about maybe "I won't get caught." It appears to be more common these days or is it only because it is news worthy? Sex with a minor is a crime not matter how one looks at it.
Jeff Hawkins
11:03 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Brigitta:
I think we would need a "shrink" to explain why this seems to be happening more often. Not only here in MoCo, but all across the country. Could it be a general decay in morality? Could it a blurring of the age groups?
Youngster's still want to grow up quick, but I think the thing that has changed the most is that adults or supposed adults want to "hang on" to their youth more than those in the past and will do anything to achieve it. Of course I could be totally wrong?
Stephen Kelley
2:20 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
I suspect it is "more common" these days only because our society has changed enough so that the victims of these digusting crimes have the courage to come forward and know they will be supported. (Well, mostly supported, in looking at two of the comments above.)
dc's mom
2:57 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
It is so sad to learned about Ms. Campbell, I was in total shock...Ms Campbell taught my son in Kindergarten when she came to Montrose Christian after graduating from college. She was wonderful teacher, I have never seen her raising her voice with kids, she was always kind and gentle with her students. We are not to judge one's fault..we all make mistakes big and small...God can only judge us and what Ms Campbell had done is wrong and God will be the one who will judge her sin....I only pray for her to confess her sin to God and ask his forgiveness. He is forgiving God.
and hope she'll become better person before God. God bless you Ms Campbell...
Jeff Hawkins
3:15 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
dc's mom:
I understand your sorrow....... but............got any left for the boy who was "used". Can he get a God and an amen also?
Theresa Defino
3:47 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
I really don't want to read any more about what a great person this lady was. I guess I'll stay off the site for a while (that will be please some, I know. :-) )
Mary Earley
8:43 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
This woman is charged with a sex crime. I don't have a huge problem with people saying she was a great teacher, but referring to a sex crime as a "mistake" or something that is part of her "personal life" is just plain wrong.
Full time MOM
9:06 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
Come on people! Where is your outrage that Planned Parenthood is encouraging 13-18 and providing for sexual promiscuity without parental consent. This is only an issue if the 16 year old chooses someone 'over-age'? It is being pushed by our Federal Government! Stop the sexualization or our society! Stop Planned Parenthood and their worshipers.