A former teacher at Bryant High School has pleaded guilty to having sex with a student.
The US Attorney's office said 33-year-old Heather Hare pleaded guilty on Monday to transporting a minor across state lines in order to have sex.
Hare Told Student She Had a Dream of Them Having Sex
Investigators said that Hare taught family consumer science classes at Bryant High School and she met the minor victim on the first day of his senior year. Hare began one-on-one counseling sessions with the victim, eventually giving him her phone number and talking with him through social media.
According to prosecutors, Hare eventually told the victim that she had a dream of them having sex and gave him her home address in Conway. Prosecutors stated that Hare and the victim had sex approximately 20 to 30 times throughout the 2021-2022 school year.
Between April 22 and 24 in 2022, Hare was a sponsor and chaperone for a field trip to Washington D.C. that the victim had attended among three other students. Federal prosecutors said Hare and the victim had sex during the trip, which she later pleaded guilty to.
Hare Now Facing 10 Years in Prison
U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross spoke on the guilty verdict, saying that Hare abused her position to coerce the victim into having sex.
"This former teacher took advantage of her position of trust and the vulnerability of a minor, using her role to entice and lure this minor into engaging in unlawful sexual activity," Ross said. "Our office will continue to seek significant penalties against any educational professional who sexually abuse their students."
Federal prosecutors said Hare will be sentenced at a later date but noted that the charge has a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.
As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped a charge of interstate/foreign travel for prostitution/sexual activity by coercion.
