A special-education teacher in Washington state is accused of raping a 10-year-old student at an elementary school, according to court documents.
The Spokane Police Department said in a statement that a principal alerted officers that a “family member of a student had disclosed to them statements the child made regarding possible sex acts with an adult female teacher.”
‘We are additionally concerned for community safety based on the level of sophistication and planning involved in perpetrating these sexual assaults.’
Around 3:30 p.m. Feb. 12, officers responded to the reports of child sex crimes.
“When officers arrived and took the initial report, they obtained statements and evidence to believe these allegations were founded,” the police news release stated. “SPD’s Special Victims Unit was called and took over the investigation.”
Police said investigators “worked tirelessly over the past month to obtain evidence and solidify the investigation.”
Officers arrested 32-year-old Mahayla Benavides on March 12, and she was charged with rape of a child in the first degree and child molestation in the first degree.
On March 17, Benavides pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Washington law defines rape of a child in the first degree when a person has “sexual intercourse with another who is less than 12 years old, and the perpetrator is at least 24 months older than the victim.”
Child molestation in the first degree is when a person “has, or knowingly causes another person under the age of 18 to have, sexual contact with another who is less than 12 years old, and the perpetrator is at least 36 months older than the victim,” according to Washington law.
Benavides’ bond was set at $500,000, according to jail records.
KXLY-TV reported that Spokane Police Department officers interviewed Benavides at her home in February and administered a cheek swab.
Police said Benavides didn’t want to answer officers’ questions, but KXLY said she “performed a ‘Google search’ for a lawyer.”
KXLY added that “police also collected evidence from the classroom at Stevens Elementary School, which detectives say included a bean bag chair that tested positive for a bodily fluid.”
Citing court records, KXLY reported that the student told investigators the alleged sexual abuse occurred almost every day — “sometimes as much as five times per day.”
The boy informed investigators that the alleged child abuse often happened in a “time-out room,” but Benavides would occasionally touch him sexually in the classroom when other young students were present, according to documents filed in Spokane County Superior Court.
According to the affidavit, Benavides pressured the minor to remain silent and said that disclosing the relationship could result in legal trouble or the loss of her job.
The student told investigators that Benavides recorded sexually explicit videos of herself and then showed them to him at school, KXLY reported.
KXLY reported, “In one of the videos, she uses the child’s name.”
Police also found videos of Benavides appearing to perform a sexual act with the student in the classroom, according to the affidavit.
The school district provided police with videos from “the classrooms in question,” KXLY said.
Police said they seized items from the special-education teacher and the student, according to the affidavit.
Prosecutors said Benavides’ actions were “highly predatory, and we are additionally concerned for community safety based on the level of sophistication and planning involved in perpetrating these sexual assaults,” KREM-TV reported.
According to KXLY, prosecutors noted that the special-ed teacher was able to “keep her actions hidden for a long period of time.”
Spokane Public Schools told KREM, “It’s vital that we allow SPD to conduct its investigation, and SPS will continue to follow our policies as we take the next steps pending the outcome.”
Sweetser Law Office, which is representing the alleged victim’s family, said in a statement, “Parents entrust schools with their children every day. That trust exists because families believe their children will be safe in the care of the adults responsible for them. Every child deserves that safety.”
The Spokane Police Department said Spokane School District 81 “acted quickly once this information was brought to their attention, promptly separating Benavides from the child and further school access, and calling police.”
The Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment.
Benavides is scheduled to appear in court May 11, according to KREM.
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Child sex crimes, Child sex abuse, Rape, Child rape, Molestation, Washington, Bad teacher, Teacher arrested, Teacher sex scandal, Crime, Spokane, Elementary school
