High School Teacher Arrested For Hiding Missing Teen In Her Home For Days
A Florida high school teacher has been arrested for hiding a missing teen inside her home for days, police said. The unidentified minor, who was reported missing on Aug.12 by his parents, was found Wednesday inside the home of Kelly Simpson at Port Charlotte.
Cops responded to the information they received on the minor's location and arrested Simpson on charges of interfering with the custody of a minor, the Charlotte County Sheriff's office said in a news release.
An investigation revealed that Simpson picked up the teen from an unknown location and hid him inside her home while being fully aware of the boy's missing or endangered status, police said.
Meanwhile, a statement from the Charlotte County Sherriff's office said the teacher misled officials about the whereabouts of the missing boy while he was at her home, WFLA reported.
Simpson, who worked for the Charlotte County Public School during the incident, was reportedly placed on administrative leave.
"Charlotte County Public Schools takes an incident such as this very seriously. The safety, protection, and well-being of our students is a top priority. The teacher arrested was employed at Charlotte High School and has been placed on Administrative Leave. Charlotte County Public Schools can not comment on the arrest as there is an ongoing investigation by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office," Charlotte County Public School said in a statement.
Meanwhile, it is unclear why Simpson hid the boy inside her home. The officials said they are still investigating the incident.
Court records revealed that Simpson's bond was set for $5,000, NY Post reported.
Anyone with information regarding the case has been requested to contact Charlotte County Sheriff's Office at 941-639-2101.
A missing teen girl from California was found with her stepfather during a traffic stop in April, nine months after her disappearance. Cops arrested the man, identified as Santos Flores-Roman, on suspicion of concealing the girl from her parents. Investigators believe that the 14-year-old girl, Katuana Nateya Whisenant ran away from her parents' home in Crescent City on July 23, 2021, to be with Flores-Roman who moved to Santa Rosa.
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