A female teacher allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old foreign exchange student while her voyeur husband watched. Kimberly Wellman-Rich is accused of sleeping with the teenager while he was staying at her place in Louisiana. Authorities received an anonymous tip in January before they launched an investigation into the teacher, an employee of the Lafayette Parish School System.
Now, Wellman-Rich has been charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, indecent behavior with a juvenile, encouraging or contributing to child delinquency, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, KATC reported.
Jeffery Paul Rich, her husband, was also charged with accessory after the fact to felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. The couple has since been bonded out of jail. Authorities said Rich had first-hand knowledge of the sexual relationship between his wife and the student, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The duo is also accused of letting the teen drink and smoke pot in their home. “The Lafayette Parish School System is aware of the allegations of inappropriate conduct by one of our employees,” the school system said in a statement. “Allegations of this nature will continue to be taken very seriously and will be thoroughly investigated. Never will the alleged inappropriate conduct of an employee be taken lightly. LPSS is fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation. Because this is a personnel matter, no further information will be provided.”
Meanwhile, Pan Atlantic, the firm responsible for the Foreign Exchange Students, also provided a statement to KATC. “We are aware of the allegations and have been providing information to the local and regulatory authorities,” the statement read. “We have been working with the student, the student’s natural family, and all stakeholders to ensure the student’s safety, and the privacy of all concerned.”
“Pan Atlantic is a mission-driven organization that has a strong commitment to ensuring the safety of all persons who participate in these highly regulated programs,” it continued. “Because we have an obligation to protect the privacy of those who participate in these programs, no further information will be provided.”
Earlier this week, MEAWW reported how Brooke Wright, a former teacher in Ohio, was sentenced to four years imprisonment for engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old teenager who had behavioral issues. During her plea hearing in September 2020, assistant prosecutor Sayje Brown accused her of taking advantage of the vulnerability of the teenage boy and having sex with him, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The 40-year-old accused, who hails from Gahanna, was a former teacher and administrator at Ventures Academy, a school in Delaware County that provides an ‘alternative education program’ for a safer and more structured learning environment for students with special needs. Wright first met the victim in the school in 2018 when he was 13 years old. Later in 2019, she engaged in sexual activities with him for several months at different locations in Franklin County, as per the victim’s police complaint.
In September last year, Wright pleaded guilty to two felony counts of sexual battery. Two more counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor were dismissed later as per the plea agreement. Aside from four years imprisonment, the sentence requires Wright to register as a sex offender every 90 days throughout her life. She was also forced to surrender her license following the trial.
