A former Trigg County High School teacher has been indicted by a Christian County grand jury on a charge of sexual abuse stemming from an alleged incident over five years ago.
The grand jury charged 39-year-old Ashley M. Wells of Hopkinsville with first-degree sexual abuse Friday.
The indictment alleges Wells made sexual contact with a minor with whom she held a position of authority over in December of 2016. It offered no other details including whether the sexual contact occurred in person or over a phone or mobile device.
It also isn’t immediately known whether the minor was a student in the Trigg County School System.
Trigg County Superintendent of Schools Bill Thorpe confirmed in a statement that Wells, who began the school year in the high school, is no longer employed by the school system.
click to download audioThorpe would not provide any other information but did say the school system is cooperating with the Kentucky State Police investigation.
State Police detective Brian Hill, who presented the case to the grand jury, declined to comment on any information regarding the investigation including whether or not other minors were involved and whether the case is still being investigated. He referred all questions to Post 1 Public Information Officer Trooper Sarah Burgess who said more details would be released at a later date.
First-degree sexual abuse is a Class D felony punishable by 1 to 5 years in prison. In Kentucky, there is no statute of limitations for felony charges.
