School Teacher Accused of Filming Herself Masturbating In Front of Second-Grade Class

Sahar Adatia and Jimmy Singh.

A substitute teacher at a school in the United States has been accused of filming herself masturbating in front of a second-grade class, according to police.

Amelia Ressler was arrested on Friday 5 February 2021 at Mt Zion Elementary School in Carrollton, about 90km west of Atlanta, Georgia.

The 30-year-old woman was reported to investigators by school officials due to “allegations of misconduct”, which included that she allegedly filmed herself performing acts of masturbation in the presence of students in the classroom.

A subsequent investigation was carried out by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and it was found that Ms Ressler had “engaged in indecent and immoral acts while in the presence of school-aged children”.

According to spokesperson from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Ashley Hulsey, investigators uncovered evidence of the indecent act when a member of the community happened to see one of the videos.

“We obtained video evidence because she videoed it herself and disseminated it and we were able to get a hold of that evidence,” Ms Hulsey said.

“It appears she was masturbating while the classroom was full of kids.”

The spokesperson also condemned the incident, labelling it “disturbing” and noting that the children could have seen her touch herself.

“Where she was sitting, it wasn’t like it was a closed desk and the kids couldn’t look up and visually see what she was doing at the time,” Ms Hulsey said.

The school teacher was arrested and booked into the Carroll County jail.

Investigators Now Speaking to Students of The Class to Determine Exactly What Children May Have Seen

Since the incident, investigators have started speaking to the students of the class and their parents in the hope to work out exactly what the children may have seen.

“It’s one of these things the kids are going through that they shouldn’t,” Ms Hulsey said.

“The mental anguish that it’s causing these children and parents, that was our drive behind working this case, getting it down quickly, getting her put in jail as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, local news outlet, FOX 5, spoke to one of the parents whose daughter is in the second-grade class.

“My daughter had been bragging about the substitute, said they were having lots of fun, they played a lot of games,” the mother told FOX 5.

The mother also acknowledged that she knows Ms Ressler and that they left school at a similar time.

“She graduated about the same time we did, so it just seems worse,” she continued.

It has not been determined how long Ms Ressler had been a substitute teacher at Mt Zion Elementary School or within the Carroll County School District.

Carroll County Sheriff’s Office has since released a statement regarding the incident, saying:

“We appreciate the dedication Carroll County Schools has for the safety of their students as we were contacted immediately following the allegations and we will continue to work closely with them during the remainder of the investigation.”

Evidently, the incident has incited a sentiment of fear and distrust within the community, with members of the public expressing concerns such as, “What a sick world in which we live. Praying for the children involved,” and, “This disgust me, my child is in first grade and I swear I’d lose my mind if something happened to her”.

Other members of the community have also shared apprehensions including, “How can you trust anyone with your kids today,” and, “Anyone that would hurt or jeopardise the innocence of a child needs to be locked away”.

Law on Sexual Acts with a Child Between 10 and 16 Years of Age

 It is an offence to commit a “sexual act” without the consent of another person, where a sexual act is understood as an act, other than sexual touching, that a reasonable person would deem sexual.

Sexual act without consent carries a maximum penalty of up to 18-months imprisonment or $5,500 fine, or both.

If a sexual act is committed where the victim is aged between 10 and 15 years of age, the maximum penalty is two-years imprisonment, according to section 66DD of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW).

If this occurs in the company of other people or another person, or if it occurs when the victim is under the offenders authority or if the victim has a serious physical disability or cognitive impairment, the offence will be classified as aggravated sexual touching, which carries up to 3-years imprisonment and/or $5,500 fine.

Sexual touching is an area of law that our Sydney based criminal lawyers specialise in. get in touch with our friendly team if you have a question on this area of law.

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