An English teacher in Wall, N.J., has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student.
Kalee Warnick, 22, was arrested Tuesday on charges of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and second-degree having a sexual relationship with a minor, according to the Asbury Park Press.
The complaint stated that the incident was reported to police on July 14.
Warnick, a first-year teacher and 2008 graduate of Wall High School, also worked as a summer home instructor.
The boy‚Äö√Ñ√¥s family attorney, James Maggs, told the Associated Press that the teenager has gone through a “horrible ordeal.”
Warnick will plead not guilty, her attorney, Alton Kenney, told the Associated Press, “because she is, in fact, not guilty.”
Wall Township Board of Education president Eva Applegate said in an interview with the Asbury Park Press that she was aware of the case but could not comment on it.
“The board will be discussing the employee’s contract renewal in a closed session next week,” she said.
A Facebook group called “Kalee Warnick is innocent until proven guilty” was created on Friday in support of the young teacher. It had about 280 members as of Saturday morning.
“She has been accused and charged with crimes that do not describe her character. I will never accept the fact until the truth is revealed,” the group’s description reads.
Warnick was released after posting $50,000 bail. She is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 6.