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from www.kwgn.com – A teacher is accused of having sex with a student–and her father and uncle may have tried to cover it up.
The three were arrested Wednesday in Colorado Springs, along with a former principal at the school. The relationship allegedly happened at Hilltop Baptist School in Colorado Springs at 6915 Palmer Park Blvd.
A grand jury indictment says Terah Rawlings, 32, had an ongoing sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student in the fall of 2007 through the summer 2008 when the boy broke it off. The indictment says Rawlings had sex with the sophomore at her home, in her car and her father’s house.
The indictment says Rawlings also emailed the victim a photograph of herself—nude from the waist up—just out of the shower. She is covering her nipples with her hand.
She faces four counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust-pattern of abuse, and five other counts.
The grand jury also indicted Rawling’s father, Raymond “Allen” Knight, 57, the church’s associate pastor. He was the school’s athletic director.
The indictment says four people told him about his daughter’s abuse. But he never reported it to police. He faces a misdemeanor charge of failure to report child abuse or neglect.
“In Colorado, we require any employee of a school to report any suspicions. If they suspect, and have a reason to suspect, any kind of child abuse and don’t report it. It’s a crime,” says Fourth Judicial District Attorney Dan May.
But the indictment says the suspect’s 63-year-old uncle, Franklin “Wayne” Knight, went even further. He was the church’s senior pastor and former school superintendant.
The indictment shows he failed to tell police after eight people told him and he allegedly tried to discourage witnesses from telling police.
He told two church members, “If you persist with this, your relationship with the church will be damaged.”
Then, he fired two church members who finally reported it to police.
The indictment also says he sent a letter to the parents of all students, stating, “An accusation of misconduct between a staff member and a former student surfaced. We thoroughly investigated this accusation and found no basis for the claim. There is absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing. Both parties involved, as well as the student’s parents agree this is absurd and deny that anything inappropriate ever took place.”
The indictment also says “Pastor Wayne Knight tried to manipulate (the victim’s) statement by first telling him ‘because of this, people are leaving the church.’”
He faces charges of failure to report child abuse or neglect and accessory to a crime, a felony.
“It’s just a coincidence this happens at the same time as the national news,” says May.
That national news is the Penn State scandal–which also involves school administrators who failed to report child sex abuse allegations.
“It is something that upsets us because it does not normally happen and it is a violation our trust,” says May.
Police arrested a fourth person Thursday.
Jan Ocvirk, 51, was the school’s principal.
Police say she too did not report the abuse to police. That failure could cost her, and Allen Knight, up to 6 months in jail and a $750 fine. Rawlings faces up to life in prison.