Latest news with #SylvanHillsMiddleSchool
The Sun
22-05-2025
- The Sun
Teacher, 27, sexually assaulted boy, 15, & sent him naked pics on ‘daily basis' after meeting at Bill Clinton's church
A PAEDO school teacher sexually abused a 15-year-old boy and sent him naked pictures on a daily basis. Reagan Gray, 27, has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the teen, who she met at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas - Bill Clinton's former church - where she volunteered. 5 5 The abuse began in 2020 when Gray, from Monticello, was 23 and a teacher at Sylvan Hills middle School, and continued through the summer of 2021. The teen told investigators that Gray had given him oral sex multiple times - but nothing more serious as she wanted him to "stay pure". According to the court affadavit, the teen's parents first raised the alarm five years ago after discovering texts between the pair. They alerted the church's head pastor, Steven Smith, who spoke to Gray - but was assured by her there had been no physical relationship. Gray was suspended and prescribed counselling, but returned within weeks and continued to abuse the boy, switching their communication to Snapchat, the court heard. Years later, during a counselling session with Smith in September 2023, Gray admitted her contact with the boy was "sexual in nature" and had continued after her return, the court was told. Police were called, and the boy told investigators they had sex between five and 10 times in Gray's car or apartment during the fall of 2020. He said Gray had not wanted them to have intercourse "in order for [him] to stay pure". Gray was arrested and charged last year, initially with first-degree sexual assault as she was in "a position of trust or authority". Soon after charges were layed, she was fired by the Pulaski County Special School District. Nurse Charged After Alleged Abuse of Stepson: Shocking Details Emerge About two months later, Smith preached for the final time as Immanuel's pastor. He quit amid criticism for failing to inform his church about child abuse allegations, reported the Christian Post at the time. In a plea bargain with prosecutors, Gray ultimately pleaded guilty to a single count of sexual assault in the second degree. She was sentenced on Monday to six years' probation, ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and ordered to submit a DNA sample. Gray was also barred from having any contact with the victim, and has been placed on the sex offender registry. After sentencing, the boy's parents said in a statement that they were "grateful that our son has one less painful load to carry," reported the Mail Online. 5 They added: "What's difficult to reconcile is how many adults repeatedly failed him - people with power, responsibility, or influence who looked the other way. Institutions that protected themselves. "Systems that made justice harder than it should have been." Two lawsuits have been filed against the church, alleging a cover-up of sexual abuse claims. The US Sun has contacted Immanuel and Sylvan Hills Middle School for comment following sentencing. A spokeswoman for Pulaski County Special School District said officials have no comment "as Ms. Gray no longer works for our district". Bill Clinton last attended the Southern Baptist church several decades ago. He bid it farewell back in January 1993, saying that 'were it not for this church, I believe it would be virtually impossible (that) I would be going to Washington next week as President."
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Teacher axed as sexual abuse of 15yo she met at church exposed
A US teacher has lost her job after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a teenager she met while volunteering at a church once frequented by former President Bill Clinton. Reagan Gray began assaulting the boy in 2020 when she was 23 and he was just 15 after they met at the iconic Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, in Arkansas where she volunteered with the student ministry. During interviews with investigators, the boy alleged that Gray had given him oral sex — but claimed they didn't have intercourse so he could 'stay pure,' the New York Post reported. Gray was initially charged with sexual assault in the first and fourth degree after her arrest last year, but has since pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the second degree. She was sentenced to six years' probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 (AU $1552) fine. Additionally, she must submit a DNA sample and will be placed on the sex offender registry, according to KARK. Gray is also barred from having any contact with the victim, and has since been axed from her job at Sylvan Hills Middle School. The victim's parents discovered a trove of inappropriate text messages, including nude photos, between the victim and Gray in 2020 — which they reported to the church's then-head pastor Steven Smith, according to court documents. Smith confronted Gray about the texts — but she assured him the relationship was not 'physical'. Gray, who also worked as a teacher at Little Rock Christian Academy at the time, was yanked from the student ministry and forced by the church to attend counselling services, to which she agreed. Shortly afterwards, however, she was back with the church youth group. Federal authorities launched an investigation in February 2024 when they learned that Gray had continued to exchange messages with the teen via Snapchat, the court documents charge. The alleged abuse, which occurred nearly a dozen times, took place in Gray's car or apartment, the victim told police. Smith resigned from his position last year over the controversy.
New York Post
21-05-2025
- New York Post
Arkansas teacher admits to sexually assaulting 15-year-old boy she met at church lauded by Bill Clinton
A former teacher pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teenager she met while volunteering at an Arkansas church, once frequented by former President Bill Clinton. Reagan Gray began assaulting the boy in 2020 when she was 23-years and he was just 15 after they met at the iconic Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, where volunteered with the student ministry. During interviews with investigators, the boy alleged that Gray had given him oral sex — but claimed they didn't have intercourse so he could 'stay pure,' according to court documents. Advertisement Reagan Gray began plead guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy, starting in 2020 when she was 23. Pulaski County Detention Center Gray was initially charged with sexual assault in the first and fourth degree after her arrest last year, but pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the second degree. She was sentenced on Monday to six years' probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. Additionally, she must submit a DNA sample and will be placed on the sex offender registry, according to KARK. Advertisement Gray is also barred from having any contact with the victim, and has since been axed from her job at Sylvan Hills Middle School. The victim's parents discovered a trove of racy text messages, including nude photos, exchanged between the victim and Gray in 2020 — which they then reported to the church's then-head pastor Steven Smith, according to court documents. Smith confronted Gray about the texts — but she assured him the relationship was not 'physical.' Advertisement Gray volunteered with the student ministry at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. Google Maps Gray, who also worked as a teacher at Little Rock Christian Academy at the time, was yanked from the student ministry and forced by the church to attend counseling services, to which she agreed. Shortly afterwards, however, she was back with the church youth group. Federal authorities launched an investigation in February 2024 when they learned that Gray had continued to exchange messages with the teen via Snapchat, the court documents charge. The alleged abuse, which occurred nearly a dozen times, took place in Gray's car or apartment, the victim told police. Pastor Smith resigned from his position last year over the controversy.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Glamorous teacher who's also Baptist church leader avoids jail over sexual assault of boy aged just 15
A church volunteer who had an illicit sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy at her congregation for nine months has dodged jail. Reagan Danielle Gray, 27, sent naked pictures 'on a daily basis' to the boy after they met at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. But they never went further than oral sex during their illegal affair between September 2020 and May 2021, because Gray wanted the teen to 'stay pure'. Gray, who was at the time a teacher at Sylvan Hills Middle School, pleaded no contest to second-degree sexual assault in a plea bargain on Monday. Judge LaTonya Honorable sentenced her to six years probation and a $1,000 fine in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court. Gray will also have to register as a sex offender. Gray was originally charged last August with first-degree sexual assault as she was in 'a position of trust or authority' over the boy. She was fired by the Pulaski County Special School District soon after the charges were laid. The boy's family sued the church in December for negligence, negligent hiring, negligent supervision and negligent retention. The teen's parents said they were 'grateful that our son has one less painful load to carry' in a statement after Gray was sentenced. 'What's difficult to reconcile is how many adults repeatedly failed him - people with power, responsibility, or influence who looked the other way. Institutions that protected themselves,' they said. 'Systems that made justice harder than it should have been.' The court heard Gray met the boy at the church, one of the biggest in Arkansas and once attended by former president Bill Clinton, where he was also a member of the student ministry. He told detectives that Gray found his phone number through the group chat for the church's music program. The church sent her for counseling after the boy's parents discovered text messages alluding to the affair on their son's phone, but she was welcomed back within weeks and resumed her abuse. The pair met in her car and in her Monticello apartment until May 2021 but the boy told investigators he could not remember if he responded to her demands for naked images in response to her torrent of nude photos. 'I don't have explicit memory of doing that but, with how often she requested it, it probably did happen,' he admitted. The boy's parents confronted Gray and informed head pastor Steven Smith after discovering a series of text messages. Smith said he confronted Gray and suspended her from student ministry despite her insistence that her relationship with the boy was not sexual. The police were not informed and the church assigned Gray an 'accountability partner' - Smith's wife Ashley. But Gray resumed her abuse after returning from her counselling, switching her communications with the boy to Snapchat. It was not until a counselling session with Smith in September 2023 that Gray admitted the relationship was 'sexual in nature' and continued after her suspension. Police were called and the boy told FBI investigators that the pair had sex between five and 10 times during the fall of 2020. He said Gray performed oral sex on him but the pair did not have intercourse 'in order for [him] to stay pure'. Smith resigned as pastor of the 128-year-old church, which routinely attracts nearly 1,000 people to its services, just before Gray was charged.
