An Upstate teacher behind bars, accused of having sex with a student, asked a judge to have her bond reduced Tuesday afternoon and the judge granted the request.
Thirty-seven year-old Angela Simmons Lindle was arrested last Friday by the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office and charged with seven counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. At an earlier bond hearing, a judge held Lindle on $120,000 bond, but after her attorney argued that the bond was too high, the jusge reduced it to $75,000 bond.
Lindle was suspended as a teacher from Edgewood Middle School in Ninety Six. The Greenwood Sheriff's Office says the misconduct started in August of 2008and according to the incident report, the victim says he had sex with Lindle dozens of times since then. In arrest warrants, the suspended teacher admits to having sex with her former 14-year-old student only seven times, once in her home, in motels, even in a store parking lot.
Greenwood District 52 Superintendent says the district knew nothing of the allegations. "If we had had any suspicion, we would have followed up on that. It's just something we're not going to have happen in our district, and no school district wants this," Powell told News Channel 7. None of the alleged incidents happened at Edgewood Middle School or on school grounds, but Dr. Powell says the district is cooperating with law enforcement. "We realize that she is innocent until proven guilty, and we have to be careful what we say, but we also have a responsibility to protect our students," said Powell.
The Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is far from over, and they are asking other parents for help. Major John Murray says, "I’m asking any parents that if they had a child that had her as a teacher, that those parents would do the right thing and talk to their child and find out if they think any inappropriate conduct had been done to their child; and if they think it is inappropriate to contact us here at the Greenwood Sheriff's office." They say items they found while conducting a search warrant at Lindle's home, back up the victim's story. "We feel very, very confident about this case," says Murray.
If convicted she faces 25 years in prison for each count. The school district tells us Lindle had been on medical leave since September.
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