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Ashley Waffle, a temporary teacher's aide from Granite Public School, was arrested after allegedly sleeping with a student just two weeks after starting her employment.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of r*pe of a minor by an adult.
According to the statement, 22-year-old Ashley began working as an aide on October 10, 2022, in the Granite School District of Oklahoma. She reportedly started communicating with a 16-year-old student fifteen days later through the instant messaging app Snapchat.
Soon, Waffle is believed to have had intercourse with the student twice prior to November 9, 2022, at her apartment.
Oklahoma State Laws explained in light of Ashley Waffle's arrest
A press release signed by the Granite Public School Superintendent, Missy Berry on November 19, confirmed Ashley Waffle was an employee with the GPS.
The statement explained that there were rumors of the 22-year-old's alleged relationship with a student. As these rumors reached officials, they terminated Ashley Waffle's employment on November 10, 2022.
Court documents also show that law enforcement began investigating Waffle after they were tipped off by school authorities about her involvement with a student.
In the press release, Missy Berry stated that they have been working with law enforcement on the matter and are providing them with all the assistance.
According to Oklahoma's r*pe laws, any act of non-consensual s*xual intercourse between a victim who isn't the spouse of the perpetrator is defined as r*pe. It also indicates seven situations that can be classified as r*pe in the first degree.
All other instances of non-consensual s*exual intercourse are considered r*pe in the second degree (or statutory r*pe). This includes intercourse where an individual does not have the mental capacity to give consent. In one of the instances pointed out in the stature, it is considered to be r*pe if:
"The victim is at least 16 years of age and is less than 20 years of age and is a student, or under the legal custody or supervision of any public or private elementary or secondary school, junior high or high school, or public vocational school, and is penetrated by a person 18 or older and is an employee of the same school system."
On this account, Ashley Waffle is now facing two counts of second-degree r*pe which could possibly land her in prison for 15 years. She is currently being held at the Greer County Jail in Mangum, Oklahoma.
A similar incident took place in Oklahoma in May 2022, when a 28-year-old middle school teacher, Ivy Reneau s*xted her 16-year-old student. She reportedly told the student she had "heard he liked her."
Reneau is charged with using technology to engage in communication with a s*xual intent with a minor. Although in Oklahoma, the legal age of consent is 16 years, anyone in a position of authority can still be charged with having s*xual relations with a minor under the age of 18.
Granite Public School declined to comment further on the matter. Ashley Waffle's bail bond is set at $100,000.
