Teacher charged with statutory rape of North Carolina student under the age of 16
Update: On Aug. 8, officials said Elizabeth Suzanne Bailey was served with two additional arrest warrants, charging her with “felony statutory sex offense with a child under 15 and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.” She was booked into jail but was later out on bond and on house arrest, according to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.
The original story continues below.
A North Carolina teacher is accused of statutory rape against a student under the age of 16, officials said.
Now, the K-12 school educator is facing multiple sex crime charges, according to Charlotte-area deputies.
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office in a news release didn’t list attorney information for the teacher, identified as 36-year-old Elizabeth Suzanne Bailey. She worked at Northview Academy, a non-traditional campus once known as Pressly School, according to the Iredell-Statesville Schools website and a statement released on Monday, Aug. 1.
The district in its emailed statement told McClatchy News that Bailey had been “suspended with pay” pending deputies’ investigation.
“She was first employed with the Iredell-Statesville School District in February 2010 as an assistant,” the district wrote. “She has also served as an exceptional children’s teacher, and most recently as a science teacher. The investigation is ongoing.”
On July 20, deputies received a report about allegations against Bailey and started an investigation.
Deputies said they interviewed the student and witnesses. They also “applied for and received search warrants for digital and social media communications between the victim and Bailey,” the sheriff’s office wrote in its release.
Officials got arrest warrants against the teacher but couldn’t find her. She reportedly turned herself in on Aug. 1 “after an arrangement had been made between the district attorney’s office and the suspect’s attorney on the bond amount and special restrictions.”
Bailey was put on house arrest with an ankle monitor and received a $75,000 secured bond. She is facing charges of “felony statutory rape of a person who is 15 years of age or younger, felony indecent liberties with a minor, and felony sexual activity with a student,” officials said.
She lived and worked in Statesville, roughly 40 miles north of Charlotte.
This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Teacher charged with statutory rape of North Carolina student under the age of 16."
