A past middle school teacher from Delaware has been apprehended on charges of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a student, according to law enforcement authorities.
Reed Messer, a 42-year-old resident of Greenville, South Carolina, was arrested by Delaware State Police. The charges include multiple counts of rape and child sexual abuse by a trusted person.
The Criminal Investigations Unit of the State Police was alerted on December 23, 2022, by the Delaware Division of Family Services. The report alleged that Messer, formerly employed at Stanton Middle School in Wilmington, had been involved in an inappropriate relationship with a student almost a decade ago.
Through their investigation, the police determined that the alleged misconduct began in October 2014 and continued for approximately two months.
On April 26, law enforcement officers obtained an arrest warrant for Messer. South Carolina police located and apprehended her at her residence in Greenville.
Messer was initially held in the Department of Corrections in South Carolina before being extradited to Delaware on Monday.
She now faces serious charges, including sexual abuse of a child by a trusted person and rape. These charges are considered felonies under the law.
Following her arraignment by the Justice of the Peace Court, Messer is currently detained in the Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution with a bond set at $310,000.
According to law enforcement authorities, Messer has not been employed by the Red Clay Consolidated School District since November 2014. Officials from the school district have not yet commented on the allegations.
The police have confirmed that the investigation into the matter is ongoing.