Rachelle Louise Terry (Murray County Sheriff’s Office)
A 43-year-old former Georgia school principal admitted this week to raping a 15-year-old student while hosting a party at which she provided alcohol to minors.
Rachelle Louise Terry, who served as director of federal programs and enrollment with the Murray County School District, pleaded guilty Wednesday to statutory rape, child sexual exploitation, tampering with evidence, contributing to delinquency of a minor and supply of alcohol to minors, authorities confirmed to Law&Crime.
Superior Court Judge Scott Minter ordered Terry to serve three years in a Georgia correctional facility, plus an additional 12 years of probation after his release.
“In addition, part of the negotiated plea included several special conditions imposed on sexual offense cases, including no contact with children under 18, no alcohol, a curfew, and no internet access or use of social media,” the district attorney’s office wrote in an email to Atlanta. ABC affiliate WST-TV.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), authorities began investigating Terry in November 2022 after allegations that she gave alcoholic beverages to children at a Halloween party held at Terry’s home.
Steve Loughridge, the Murray County Schools Superintendent, contacted the Murray County Sheriff’s Office and reported that the parents of one of the students who attended the Halloween party filed a complaint about the gathering .
Due to a potential conflict of interest, the sheriff’s office reportedly requested that officials from the Conasauga District Attorney’s Office take control of the investigation. The dispute arose because the sheriff’s office provided school resource officers to the district.
An investigation into these allegations by the Conasauga County District Attorney’s Office reportedly revealed that Terry had a “sexual relationship” with a college student. The DA’s office then requested the assistance of GBI special agents to continue the investigation of Terry.
According to a Daily Citizen report, investigators obtained cellphone videos and photos of underage students who attended the party after their parents consented to allow law enforcement to search the devices. This search would have revealed digital evidence of Terry having a “sexual relationship” with a 15-year-old student from the Murray County School District.
During his initial interviews with law enforcement, Terry reportedly denied any involvement with the student. However, during the investigation, it was discovered that she had purchased software used to completely erase data from her mobile phone, permanently deleting all content from the device, WST reported.
However, when the 15-year-old student was interviewed by a forensic investigator from the Children’s Advocacy Center-Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, the boy reportedly confirmed that the messages and media from his conversations with Terry were accurate and that he and Terry had engaged in sexual acts together.
Due to the nature of the charges Terry is bringing, she will have to register as a sex offender upon her release from prison.
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