What did Gabriela Neufeld do? Charges explored as South Mecklenburg High School teacher arrested over exploiting a student

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested 26-year-old teacher Gabriela Neufeld on Wednesday for allegedly engaging in s*xual activity with a student. According to authorities, the student is 18 years old, and they have been engaged in such acts at least five times since October 2023. The student's mother caught them in the act and called the cops.

Trigger warning: The article contains references to a s*xual relationship with a student. Reader's discretion is advised.

News outlets reached out to the arrested teacher for a comment on the allegations. However, no active response was received. WCNC has reported that Neufeld resigned from her job shortly after the arrest.

---

The student's mother allegedly tracked his location and caught him and Gabriela Neufeld in an intimate situation

A disturbing set of allegations have been slapped against a 26-year-old South Mecklenburg High School teacher. Gabriela Neufeld was allegedly having s*xual relationship with an 18-year-old student, whose identity hasn't been revealed. WBTV reported that the school was aware of the rumors regarding the alleged teacher-student relationship.

According to the prosecutors, the student's mother first heard about the rumors on Thanksgiving. Her suspicions grew after discovering that her son had missed his rugby practice. She allegedly used the Life360 app to discover that he had missed the practice. She then tracked his location at Park Road Park in south Charlotte. After arriving there, she found her son getting engaged in s*xual act with Neufeld in a car. She clicked pictures of the vehicle's license plate before calling 911.

After the arrest, an unsecured bond of $75,000 was set, which she later posted and was released. However, the judge imposed restrictions on her, including being put on electronic monitoring and avoiding contact with the student. Before the release, she was booked into the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. On November 29, school authorities suspended Neufeld with pay. However, shortly after that, she resigned.

---

If convicted, Neufeld could be convicted up to 47 months

The 26-year-old teacher is originally from Boone, North Carolina. Gabriela Neufeld reportedly had graduated from Appalachian State University. WCNC has comfirmed the information. The news outlet also reported that she was teaching biology and AP biology for students of ninth to twelfth grade at the school.

WBTV has discussed the matter with Brad Smith, a managing member of Arnold and Smith PLLC, who said,

"It’s unusual in the sense that the normal sexual statutory offenses all deal with students or kids that are under the age of 16. Whereas the exception to this is that you can be at the age of consent, which an 18-year-old is, but if you have a sexual relationship with that person as a teenager, then you’re committing a felony."

According to authorities, Gabriela Neufeld has been charged with a Class G felony. The maximum sentence could be about 47 months. However, it has also been mentioned that since she doesn't have a prior criminal record, she might not get the maximum sentence even if she is proven guilty in the current case.