How Scratches Found on a Teenage Boy Led to a Sex Crime Conviction for His Teacher
Hailey Clifton-Carmack, a former high school teacher in Laquey, Mo., pleaded guilty to felony sexual contact with a student
Garden Ridge Police Department
Hailey Clifton-Carmack in a mugshot following her January arrest in Texas.The 16-year-old boy allegedly showed another student photographs of his back, lined with scratches.
He said his teacher had left the markings after the two had sex in the other student’s driveway, according to the probable cause statement that led to the teacher’s arrest and was obtained by PEOPLE.
On Friday, Sept. 6, Hailey Clifton-Carmack, a former high school teacher in Laquey, Mo., pleaded guilty to felony sexual contact with a student, per her signed plea order. (The January charges, which also initially included child molestation, statutory rape and endangering the welfare of a child, were dropped in the plea deal.)
Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin S. Hillman tells PEOPLE that she faces four years behind bars under Missouri's Sex Offender Assessment Program for the interactions which took place between November and December 2023.
Pulaski County Jail
Hailey Clifton-Carmack in her mugshot taken following her extradition to Pulaski County, Mo.Clifton-Carmack, who is in her mid-20s, is on house arrest pending her Oct. 11 sentencing. (Her lawyer, Charles Theodore Frahm, did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.)
The student witness told Detective Sergeant Bryan Gibbs, per a probable cause statement, that Clifton-Carmack “has openly discussed her personal life with the class and stated she has gotten in trouble with the administration for being ‘too close with students.’”
The Laquey School District superintendent confirmed a private discussion with the teacher regarding her student interactions, per the detective.
According to the student informant, the victim had told him that "he was the reason" his teacher’s “divorce was pushed through.”
Online court records reviewed by PEOPLE show that Clifton-Carmack’s husband filed for divorce from her in August 2023. The couple – who had a child together – were divorced the next month, per a judgment and decree of their dissolution of marriage.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
When confronted by the detective on Dec. 8, 2023, “Hailey handed over her phone with no issues and did not have the normal behavior of someone facing the same accusations,” per the detective's statement.
Investigators recovered from the phone “a conversation between her and the confidential victim discussing their relationship.”
Furthermore, per the criminal complaint, Clifton-Carmack continued contact with the victim until Dec. 23, at which point she left the state, with roommates telling the detective that she had “moved to Texas to live with her family down there.”
Another witness, whose name was withheld by law enforcement, told Gibbs per his probable cause statement that she had confronted the teen’s father about allegedly knowing about the abuse and doing nothing to stop it.
When she told him that she was going to authorities about what he knew, the father allegedly responded: “They are going to do it behind my back so I may as well let it happen.”
The father also allegedly told the witness that the pair had used students as “look-outs while they had sex during school,” that she had been to his residence before leaving for Texas and that “he would lie for his son if he had to," according to the probable cause statement.
Clifton-Carmack was arrested in January by Garden Ridge police in Texas and later extradited to Missouri to face the charges.
The teen’s father was initially charged with child endangerment.
Hillman tells PEOPLE that his case is “on hold” until the teacher is sentenced “as he has agreed to assist the State and testify if needed.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
