Bengals Cheerleader Sarah Jones Charged With Sex Abuse
A Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader was recently indicted by a grand jury on sex abuse charges, following allegations that she engaged in sex with a student from the high school where she teaches English.
Ben-Gals team captain, Sarah Jones, has been a freshman English teacher at Dixie Heights High School in Edgewood, Ky., for the past five years and was recently charged with first-degree sexual abuse- a felony, according to CBS Sports.
The 26-year-old faces up to five years in prison if she is convicted of any charges, which includes unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other illegal acts.
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"Sarah denies it completely and apparently the quote, unquote 'victim' denies it and is not cooperating ... and his parents are upset Sarah is having to go through this which is not usually the case in these situations," Jones' former attorney, Eric Deters, said on his radio show shortly after her Nov. 30 resignation.
In a brief resignation letter to the Edgewood High school, Jones cited "personal reasons" as an explanation for her sudden departure, which critics attribute to the allegations.
A grand jury also indicted Jones' mother, Cheryl, on a charge of tampering with physical evidence in her daughter's case, although family attorney, Charles T. Lester Jr., is adamant that his clients will plead not guilty.
"Sarah has maintained her innocence. Cheryl Jones did not tamper with evidence, the indictment of her mother is completely baseless," Lester said Thursday.
The case has sparked public outrage particularly among local parents, who have grown increasingly concerned about the safety of their children.
Mother of three Sheila Elstro said that her children would be attending Twenhofel Middle School, where Cheryl Jones is the school principal.
"It's definitely scary and concerning," Elstro told WPTV.com.
Local parent Brenda Woodcock expressed her concerns about sending her own kids to school if such incidents could occur.
"I think it's appalling that you send your kid to school with some teachers looking at them in an educational format and some of them are looking at them differently," Woodcock told wptv.com.
