A former student teacher at a private school in Dunn, North Carolina was arrested on 26 charges involving their conduct with a student.

LINDSEY BLAKE PURYEAR

Lindsey Blake Puryear, age 20, was arrested on Oct. 21 and was charged with 20 counts of indecent liberties with a student, four counts of second degree sex exploitation of a minor, and two counts of soliciting a child with a computer.

Indecent liberties with a student is a Class I felony with a possible sentence of 3 to 12 months per count.

Second degree sexual exploitation of a minor is a Class E felony that carries a jail term of 15 to 63 months per count and soliciting a child with a computer is a Class H felony with a possible jail term of 4 to 25 months per count.

Puryear was issued a $75,000 secured bond which she posted and was released.

Sampson County Sheriff Jimm Thornton said that his office was notified on Sept. 20 by a parent about inappropriate messages between a school employee and their 14-year-old son.

“Information was gathered regarding the complaint and forwarded to investigators,” Thornton said. “As a result of the investigation, sufficient evidence was gathered for probable cause to charge a suspect.”

Puryear was a student teacher at Brookside Christian Academy, however, officials indicate the alleged crimes did not take place on campus but did involve a Brookside student.

Brookside administrators and founders administrators Betsy Dean and Cortney Gordon apparently gave a statement to the Daily Record indicating Puryear had been fired:

“A staff member at Brookside Christian Academy has been arrested on charges of inappropriate communication with a student. As of September 20, 2022, the employee was terminated from their position and has not returned to the school campus. Brookside Christian Academy wants to assure you that the safety and well-being of our students remains our highest priority. The Brookside administrators are fully cooperating with the Sheriff’s office in their investigation, and we are not at liberty to comment further on this matter. As this is an ongoing investigation, any additional information will be released by law enforcement.”

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