Authorities in Murray County, Georgia, say a school administrator has been arrested and charged with sexual crimes against a student.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Thursday that Dr. Rachelle Terry, 43, is being charged with child molestation and statutory rape, as well as providing alcohol to minors during a Halloween party earlier this year.
It is Terry’s responsibility to oversee enrollment, data collection, and federal programs in the Murray County School system. According to the Dalton Daily Citizen, an investigation that led to her arrest began on Nov. 9 when Sheriff Jimmy Davenport received a complaint that minors were provided with alcohol at a Halloween party.
In order to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, Davenport requested that the Murray County District Attorney’s office handle the investigation.
“Ultimately, we took charges of furnishing alcohol to minors (5 counts) and contributing to their delinquency (5 counts),” said District Attorney Bert Poston.
“As a result of that investigation, we turned over information to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations for follow-up, which led to the additional charges of statutory rape and child molestation,” Poston said.
It was reported in a press release on Nov. 23 that the GBI had received the request from the district attorney. On the ongoing investigation, investigators refused to comment.
According to jail records, Terry was booked into the Murray County Detention Center on Nov. 30.
School district officials told FOX Chattanooga they were “shocked and saddened” by Terry’s criminal charges.
“Murray County Schools’ top priority is the safety and well-being of its students. These are extremely serious charges,” the spokesperson said.