Source: Breitbart | VIEW ORIGINAL POST ==>
The daughter of an Oklahoma mayor — who is also the wife of the town’s police chief — has been found guilty of child sex crimes after having an inappropriate relationship with one of her students.
Emma Delaney Hancock, a 28-year-old former substitute teacher in Wellston, will serve four years in prison after being sentenced for two counts of soliciting sex with a minor through the use of technology on Wednesday, KFOR reported.
Hancock, the daughter of Wellston Mayor Paul Whitnah and wife of Wellston Police Chief Alfred Hancock, still claims innocence and argues that the victim is lying, according to the outlet.
An arrest affidavit obtained by the KOKH revealed that Hancock began talking to the then-15-year-old boy in October 2022 after getting his number under the guise of helping him with classwork.
Later that night, the substitute teacher sent the boy a friend request on Snapchat, leading to several weeks of communication between them.
Over those weeks, the conversations escalated to the point of trading nude images and videos, the teen said.
The affidavit went on to state that the student went to the sub’s classroom, where she kissed and groped him while they hid inside a closet on two occasions.
The teacher was also letting the 15-year-old use her vape pen, court documents said.
At one point, the boy told his friend about the inappropriate nature of his relationship with Hancock, prompting the other student to confront the substitute.
When asked by the other teen if the rumors were true, police said that Hancock initially denied the allegations before admitting to them, telling the student that the illegal relationship would “not amount to anything because they were not going to get caught.”
After the teen reported the relationship to the authorities in November 2022, investigators obtained a warrant and searched Hancock’s devices, finding videos related to the incidents.
The disgraced teacher turned herself in to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in April 2023, before posting bond, KOKH reported.
Wellston Public Schools superintendent Mike Franz said Hancock was “immediately removed from our call list and not allowed back on campus” after being made aware of the allegations when the victim reported them.
“In addition, the district immediately notified local, county, and state (OSBI) law enforcement officials. The district cooperated, when asked, throughout OSBI’s investigation,” Franz added in a statement obtained by the local outlet.
Police Chief Alfred Hancock supported his wife, with whom he has two children, throughout the trial, testifying that she did not commit any crimes.
“She looked me dead in the eyes and said, there’s nothing [on her phone]. I mean, I believe that there’s nothing there,” he told jurors, according to NonDoc. “She’s my wife. I believe her. I’m on her side.”
Hancock herself also took the stand, admitting to letting the student hit her vape pen but denying anything else.
“The only explanation I have is he was using a vape pen — which I was in the wrong for — and the story got blown up into something it wasn’t,” she testified.
“I feel like there were a couple of inappropriate instances but I don’t think that defines who I am as a person or a teacher,” she added.
Despite being acquitted of two charges of “lewd or indecent acts to (a) child under 16” and one of “soliciting sexual conduct or communication with (a) minor by use of technology,” she was still found guilty on the two solicitation charges.
On top of prison time, Hancock will also have to register as a sex offender.
Her victim has remained in online school since the grooming, his family said.
“It’s just too much,” one of his relatives told KFOR. “So, he’s going to go back online. So, his entire high school years were online. So, we missed all that. The sports events, the prom, walking across the stage.”
