US: ex-teacher pleads guilty to having sex with minor 30 times

A former teacher in Arkansas, United States, has admitted to having sexual relations with a minor more than 30 times. According to reports, 33-year-old Heather Hare of Conway will be sentenced at a later date, with the possibility of getting a life sentence.

Hare was arrested in April 2023 after the 17-year-old victim reported that he was being sexually abused. The boy told the police that he met the accused on the first day of his senior year at Bryant High School in 2021.

She was indicted on August 1, 2023, and charged with one count of interstate/foreign travel for prostitution/sexual activity by coercion and one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The prosecutor, Assistant US Attorney John Ray White, told the court, "Hare began one-on-one counseling sessions with the minor victim, eventually giving him her personal phone number and primarily communicating with him through Instagram and Snapchat. At one point, Ms. Hare told J.R. that she had a dream of them having sex."

"The minor victim and Hare had sex approximately 20 to 30 times throughout the 2021-2022 school term, including multiple times at her Conway residence, in her vehicle, and in her classroom and parking lots at Bryant High School," White said, according to local media reports.

During the hearing, when the court asked the former teacher about the accusations, she broke down and admitted to committing the crime.

She further made a plea deal seeking 13 years in prison. But the judge has not revealed whether he has accepted the deal, which opens the possibility of a life sentence for her.

Also watch: Suspected US gunman found dead after shooting seven near Chicago