A married high school teacher has been arrested in Washington for allegedly sexually assaulting one of her students.
Madeline Scoon, who also answers to Madeline Gregory, is being held on $50,000 bond following her arrest on Monday, March 16.
Scoon, 29, was a teacher at Sprague High School, where she allegedly met the 16-year-old victim.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office confirms she's been charged with suspicion of sexual misconduct with a minor and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
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Raymond Leaver, superintendent and principal at Sprague School District, has yet to comment on Scoon's employment status.
The investigation into her alleged conduct remains ongoing.
Scoon and the teen spoke to cops on Monday. She said she had sexually assaulted him and performed oral sex on the child.
The alleged afterschool sexual assaults happened in a large closet in her classroom, police said in a statement.
Investigators allegedly recovered video of the two entering her classroom well after school hours. The two remained inside her classroom for 45 minutes.
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Scoon also allegedly said they kissed and fondled each other’s private parts in a closet within the school's gym as well as in the bushes outside of the high school tennis court after tennis practice.
The teen reportedly told investigators the sexual abuse started having an adverse impact on his mental health.
He allegedly told cops he tried ending things with Scoon, but his teacher would get upset and threaten to kill herself.
The investigation into Scoon began on February 15, after the boy’s mother allegedly went to cops with texts she'd found, exchanged between her son and the teacher.
The mother said that it seemed as if the abuse may have started in the fall.
Her curiosity apparently got the better of her after her son started attending the church where Scoon is the youth group leader, and so she checked his phone.
In some of the texts, Scoon allegedly complained about her marriage problems and discussed with the child how she wanted a divorce. The two even allegedly exchanged "I love yous," police said.
Scoon also apparently asked the teenage boy not to date any of his classmates, as she'd be unable to take it, police said.
Scoon does not yet have an attorney of record, and she has not been asked for pleas. It was unclear how long she has been married to her husband.
The Virginia school district that is still reeling from former football coach Travis Turner’s disappearance amid child pornography allegations has a history of staff members being accused of sex crimes.
Before Turner, 46, three other teachers or coaches in the Wise County Public School district had been accused of inappropriate conduct involving students — something one parent called a “culture” in the district.
“When there is this much abuse, it’s not just a few bad apples,” Stephen Murray, whose stepdaughter attends Union, said during a Wise County school board meeting in January, according to the New York Post. “It is a culture. The fish rots from the head down.”
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He added, “This is just the cases that have been reported and charged.”
Turner disappeared on November 20, 2025, and was last seen by his family members as he walked into the woods behind his house. Shortly after, authorities charged him with five counts of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Just months before, in August 2025, Coeburn Middle School teacher Tyler Jay Tibbs was charged with three counts of carnal knowledge and with taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a supervisory relationship. A carnal knowledge charge is typically for someone accused of having sex with a minor aged 13 to 15. Tibbs, 28, was released on $25,000 bond, according to WCYB, and is due in court on April 29.
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In 2023, Timothy Lee Meador, another Union coach, pleaded guilty to charges of child solicitation and indecent liberties. He spent one year in prison.
In 2020, Dalton Matthew Bates, band leader at LF Addington Middle School and Union High School, was hit with 20 counts of possessing child pornography. He later pleaded guilty to 10 counts and was charged with 36 months in prison for each, serving the sentences concurrently and being given time served, meaning he was released shortly after confessing.
As authorities continue searching for Turner, who has since been replaced as Union football coach, parents have grown frustrated over the investigation and a lack of answers.
“Everyone knows that he’s alive,” he said. “No one believes that he took his own life, and the reason is because he’s too much of a coward and he thinks too highly of himself to take his own life.”
Murray added, “People [think] he liked himself too much. There’s no way that this brought him to suicide. They think he ran for it.”
Up next
Kansas bill would close loophole that allowed school workers to have sex with students
Grace Hills
2 min read
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Chip Root, Cherokee County undersheriff, testifies Feb. 12 before the House Judiciary Committee in support of legislation that he says would close a loophole that allowed a person of authority at a school in his county to escape charges for having sex with a student. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature video)
Kansas Senate unanimously passes bill expanding definition of person of authority to prevent sexual relations between school officials and students.
House Bill 2762 secures overwhelming support in House and Senate to close loophole that allowed individuals in schools to escape charges for inappropriate relationships with students.
Lobbyist for Kansas Sheriffs’ Association testifies before Senate Judiciary Committee about need to address gap in current law that allows individuals not defined as persons of authority to engage in sexual activity with students.
TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday that expands the definition of a person of authority, strengthening state law that prohibits sexual relations between school officials and students.
Chip Root, the undersheriff for Cherokee County, warned the current definition may have allowed a person of authority to escape charges in his county.
Root testified Feb. 12 before the House Judiciary Committee that the issue arises when there’s a school resource officer, nurse, bus driver or other contracted employee who sees students every day but isn’t covered under current law.
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“This has been a glaring loophole for us,” Root said.
House Bill 2762 secured 122-0 support Feb. 19 in the House. The Senate debated an amended version Wednesday and passed the bill Thursday on a 40-0 vote.
Current law prohibits sexual relations between a student and a “teacher or other person of authority” if the student is over 16 and not married to the offender. The age of consent in Kansas is 16, meaning sexual relations between an adult and anyone under 16 is illegal — regardless of their role in a school.
The bill would add “for a school” to the law — defining a person of authority as someone who is delegated to interact with students, contracted, or who provides services for the school.
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Ed Klumpp, lobbyist for the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association, testified March 4 before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said the association is aware of two instances where someone who wasn’t employed by the school but was working in it “committed questionable acts.”
Sen. Doug Shane, a Louisburg Republican, stated for clarification that the challenge is when a high school junior or senior, who is 17 or 18, has sexual relations with someone not defined as a person of authority under current law.
“And it’s not a crime, because of age of consent,” Shane said. “Most people would view that as a crime, if you’re in a position that you could kind of coerce that sexual activity. That’s the problem it’s seeking to address, is this gap that age of consent is 16 but we still have arguably what’s a child sitting in a school environment.”
A former high school principal in Columbia County was sentenced to just over five years in prison last month for possessing and sharing images of child sex abuse.
Jeremy P. Williams, a 50-year-old Longview, Washington resident, had previously worked across the state lines as the principal of Rainier Junior/Senior High School in Oregon.
Williams was already on paid administrative leave for making negative comments about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk when he was arrested on multiple charges in September, according to a Sept. 17 letter written by Rainier School District superintendent Chad Holloway.
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Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a Utah campus a week earlier.
Cowlitz County Chief Criminal Deputy Troy Brightbill said at the time that authorities received automatic alerts from several social media sites after known sexually explicit images of children were traded by an internet address linked to Williams.
There was no indication Williams had possessed images of students at his school, the deputy said.
A reporter for the Daily Chronicle in Longview wrote that Williams made a barely audible apology in court on Feb. 23, adding that Willaims had previously boasted about winning awards for his erotic fiction.
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Williams had been principal of the high school since 2022, according to school board minutes. He retired in November with a final salary of $99,500 a year, according to The Chronicle.
Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Thad Scudder sentenced Williams to five years and one month in prison during the hearing, and ordered the ex-educator to register as a sex offender. Scudder also ordered Williams to pay $3,000 in court fees and imposed three years of probation.
There are just under 800 students enrolled in the Rainier School District, according to state data.
Elizabeth Elizarraraz / Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Brief
Elizabeth Elizarraraz was taken into custody on March 12 following allegations of sexual assault involving a minor at a Santa Clarita after-school program.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed six counts of lewd acts upon a child against Elizarraraz on Monday.
Due to the suspect's frequent contact with children through her job, authorities believe there may be additional unidentified victims.
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - Detectives are urgently seeking more information following the arrest of a Santa Clarita woman charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct involving a minor.
What we know
Elizabeth Elizarraraz, 32, was arrested on Thursday, March 12.
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The investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department revealed that Elizarraraz met her victim at an after-school program on the 24900 block of Newhall Avenue in Santa Clarita.
She was an employee at the facility, while the victim was a participant in the program.
On March 16, the District Attorney’s Office at the San Fernando Courthouse formally charged her with six felony counts of lewd acts upon a child.
What we don't know
The specific identity of the after-school program has not been explicitly named in the official sheriff's statement, nor has the exact duration of Elizarraraz's employment at that location.
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While six counts have been filed, it remains unclear how many victims are currently represented in those specific charges or the timeframe over which the alleged abuse occurred.
What they're saying
In a statement, the LASD expressed concern regarding the suspect's professional history.
"Based on the nature of the offenses, coupled with the facts that Ms. Elizarraraz has had contact with numerous juveniles in the course of her employment, detectives believe there may be additional unidentified victims."
What you can do
If you have any information regarding this case, or if you believe you or someone you know may have been a victim, you are urged to take the following actions:
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Contact the Lead Investigator: Call Sergeant Joseph Mesa at the Special Victims Bureau at 661-471-1519.
Email the Bureau: Reach out to specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org.
Remain Anonymous: Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or use the "P3 Tips" mobile app.
The Source
This report is based on information from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Up next
Illegal immigrant groping case latest allegation of misconduct in Northern Virginia school system
Kristine Parks
4 min read
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Virginia’s largest public school district is facing renewed scrutiny after parents accused Fairfax County Public Schools officials this week of delaying notification that an adult student identified as an illegal immigrant allegedly groped multiple female classmates.
News broke last week that Israel Flores Ortiz, 19, a junior at Fairfax High School, was charged with nine counts of assault and battery after multiple female students accused him of inappropriately touching them while they were walking in school hallways between classes.
Furious parents who spoke with Fox News Digital and local news outlet Wjla this week claim school officials waited two weeks to inform parents and the move only came after parental pressure. They also claim district officials sanitized the nature of the groping.
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The district said in a statement, "While Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is unable to comment on specifics due to federal and state privacy laws, we prioritize student and staff safety and fully investigate any time someone reports an incident or says they do not feel safe at school. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners, who continue to work swiftly and thoroughly when there are safety concerns in our schools. The safety of all FCPS students and staff remains a top priority."
Israel Flores Ortiz, 19, faces nine assault charges after multiple female students reported inappropriate touching at Fairfax High School.
In September 2025, Thomas Edison High School instructional assistant Derrick Burroughs was arrested after Fairfax County police alleged he sexually assaulted two students on separate occasions. He was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual battery and indecent liberties by a custodian and put on administrative leave, according to police.
The incident followed two other teachers in the district being arrested on sex crime charges in February 2025.
Fairview Elementary School teacher John Barger was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated sexual battery after detectives alleged he sexually assaulted two students on separate occasions. Later court reporting identified the students as ages 10 and 11.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) said it was unable to comment on specifics in the Ortiz case due to federal and state privacy laws, but that it prioritized student and staff safety.
"We expect that anyone who works with children is focused on their safety and well-being," an FCPS spokesperson told WJLA 7News at the time. "When that trust is broken, it deeply affects us all. As soon as we were made aware of these allegations, the teacher was removed from our schools and has not returned."
Also in February 2025, Falls Church High School teacher Richard Joseph Berkowitz was arrested in a Fairfax County child exploitation sting and charged with four counts of solicitation of a minor and two counts of production of child sexual abuse material, police said. Public reporting did not identify FCPS students as alleged victims in that case. He was suspended from teaching upon the arrest, according to authorities.
In 2024, several other cases drew public attention.
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In September 2024, police charged former after-school contractor Arturo Elmore-Adon with seven counts of unlawful filming after investigators said they found videos he allegedly took of four girls, all FCPS elementary school students.
The latest assault allegations at Fairfax High add to previous criminal cases tied to FCPS.
At Langley High School, football coach and teacher David Clay Murray was arrested in August 2024 and charged with five counts of sexual solicitation of a minor, WJLA reported, after investigators said he solicited sex acts while communicating with an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old girl.
Then in October 2024, Langley instructional assistant David Scalea was arrested after police said a student reported seeing him masturbating in a classroom. He was charged with obscene sexual display and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to Fox5DC.
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In October 2023, Groveton Elementary School teacher James William Nugent II was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child and 13 counts of distributing child pornography after police said he exposed himself to a juvenile and investigators found child sexual abuse material during a search of his home. Police said they believed he may have exposed himself to other children in the area as well.
In April 2023, James Madison High School learning disabilities teacher Allieh Kheradmand was charged with four counts of indecent liberties by a custodian after a student disclosed an inappropriate sexual relationship with her, according to the FCPD.
FCPS did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment about district-wide student-safety policies or the timeline for notifying families in the new Fairfax High case.
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The Northern Virginia school system has been criticized by conservative education activists for prioritizing "far-left" policies over student safety concerns because of its gender policies and policies protecting immigrant students from ICE.
Fairfax is one of five Northern Virginia school systems whose transgender bathroom policies triggered a threat by the Trump administration to pull federal funding, after the administration argued they were violating Title IX.
Fox News' Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
