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Ex-teacher's aide, accused of sex crimes with students, jailed again on new charges
A former teacher's aide at a Fishersville school who is accused of sexually assaulting male students was jailed on a new batch of charges after recently being granted bond.
Authorities initially arrested 23-year-old Beyonce M. Mass, of Staunton, on May 28 on two charges of taking indecent liberties with a child by a custodian after she was directly indicted by the Augusta County grand jury. A direct indictment bypasses the lower courts and the case begins in the circuit court.
Mass was a teacher's aide at the Valley Academy Regional Alternative School, which is located on John Lewis Road in Fishersville.
The Augusta County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation of Mass in December following a referral from Child Protective Services. The sheriff's office said it determined multiple inappropriate relationships between Mass and male students allegedly took place off campus.
Mass is no longer employed by the school.
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On June 2, she appeared in Augusta County Circuit Court via video monitoring from Middle River Regional Jail in Verona for a bond hearing following her initial arrest.
At the hearing, where she was given a $5,000 bond and placed on home electronic monitoring, Augusta County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney William Sukovich said the investigation of Mass started after a male juvenile was caught sneaking out of his home. When the parents of the teen, who was under the age of 16, confronted Mass, Sukovich said she requested permission to continue the alleged relationship. Mass had known the student for a "few years" and worked with him at the school, the prosecutor said.
Mass sexually abused the boy on at least two occasions, according to Sukovich, and she is suspected of providing alcohol to the teen by dropping it off at his home. He said there is online evidence that she also discussed alcohol and marijuana with the juvenile.
After a judge gave her a secured $5,000 bond, Mass was released from jail the next day on June 3. But just one day later, county authorities arrested her on three additional charges of taking indecent liberties with a child by a custodian. Lt. Leslie Snyder, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, said the reported victim was a teenager. The alleged offense dates were in 2024, she said.
Mass will appear in Augusta County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court on June 6 for a bond hearing on the three new charges.
She remains at Middle River Regional Jail.
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This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Ex-teacher's aide charged again in Augusta County, jailed
