A married high school teacher in Florida allegedly showed police where in her classroom she had sex with a 17-year-old student, telling officers the teen made her feel "special and desired."
Heather Mashburn Smith, 37, was questioned by deputies in her classroom at Port Charlotte High School, with bodycam footage released by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office showing her candidly describing the alleged encounters.
Teacher points out desks in classroom
In the footage, an officer asks Mashburn Smith to "show...where in the room" she engaged in "sexual activity" with the teenager. She responds, "I feel like it was these desks," before changing her mind and pointing elsewhere, saying, "I'm pretty sure it was these ones."
She continues: "As far as the intercourse goes, this is the desk that we leaned back on. It's not like I let him in and we went right to it or anything. We would hug and talk… Like I said, it was not premeditated sex."
Alleged grooming on Snapchat
According to the New York Post, the teacher allegedly began grooming the unnamed teenager through chats on Snapchat, where he once described her as "pretty," per court documents. She also reportedly complained to the student about her husband, telling him she planned to separate when he turned eighteen.
The pair reportedly grew closer at school, with the teen making extra trips to her classroom where they engaged in sexual activity. Mashburn Smith allegedly confessed to the acts, calling her behaviour a "mistake" and admitting she knew he was "just a teenager" but he made her feel "special and desired."
The footage shows the teacher being taken away in handcuffs and led to a police station. She faces a charge of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years. Following the charge, she was suspended from her teaching duties.
