A former Virginia music teacher has been accused of having an “inappropriate sexual relationship” with a student after she was caught by a deputy with the teen parked alone at a boat landing, the Galax Gazette reports.
Jessica Kincaid Snow, 33, of Fries, Virginia, was a teacher at Galax City Middle School and Galax City High School, according to the school district’s website. She was indicted by a grand jury on several charges on July 27 and arrested that same day, online records show. She was later released from custody later that day, according to the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim in the case is less than 15 years old, according to the charges. Snow, who is married and has a young son, was charged with three counts of indecent act with a child by a custodian, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, one count of use of communications system (a computer) to facilitate certain offenses involving children and one count of enticing a minor to perform in pornography. That final charge indicates the victim is less than 15 years old.
Here’s what you need to know about Jessica Snow:
1. Police Say the ‘Behavior’ Went on for a Period of 1 to 2 Years & Snow Met the Student Outside of School Several Times
Galex Public SchoolsJessica Snow
Jessica Snow is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with the student “over a period of one to two years,” Sheriff Richard Vaughan told the Galax Gazette. The investigation into Snow began on April 1 when she was found with the child alone in a car parked at a boat launch by a nightshift deputy, the newspaper reports.
Vaughan said investigators learned that Snow had met with the student outside of school several times. Further details about the accusations against Snow have not been made public.
The victim, who is under the age of 15, was one of Snow’s students, according to police.
Vaughan told the newspaper that the case is still under investigation and additional charges could be filed against Snow. Online records show that the Grayson County grand jury returned the indictment on July 27 and Snow was arrested that same day. She was later released from jail on $20,000 bail.
The case lists November 1, 2017, as the offense date for all of the charges.
Snow could not be reached for comment by Heavy and it is not clear if she has hired an attorney.
2. The Galax City School Board Fired Snow, Who Taught Middle & High School Music & Was the Choral Director for Both Schools
Snow has already been fired by the Galax City School Board, the Galax Gazette reports. A special meeting of the board was held to terminate Snow’s employment after the investigation into her conduct began, according to the newspaper.
“We were out of school on that Monday. Members of the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office met with us on that Tuesday,” Superintendent Bill Sturgill told the newspaper after Snow’s arrest. “I met with (Snow) that morning, and we addressed it from right there. She was placed on administrative leave at that point, and has since been terminated. She has not been in the school since we found out about it.”
Snow has worked for the Galax City school district for several years, teaching music classes and leading the choir and other theater groups at both the middle and high schools in the district, according to its website and social media posts.
3. Snow Is Married to the Director of a Church Children’s Camp Run & Has a Young Son
Jessica Kincaid Snow has been married to Michael Snow since August 15, 2009, Virginia marriage records show. Michael Snow, 54, is the director of Camp Dickenson, which is run by the United Methodist Church. He has held that job since 2007. Her husband is also a former camp director in Tennessee and a former youth and children’s director at a United Metodist Church in Tennessee.
Snow and her husband have a young son, who was born in 2014, according to public records and her husband’s Facebook page.
Snow’s husband posted several photos on Facebook with her and their son on a hiking trip taken the day after she was arrested and a boating trip taken the day after that.
The Snows are also active members of the First United Methodist Church in Galax, Virginia, where they help with music, according to the church’s website.
4. She Is a Virginia Native & Graduated From Emory & Henry College
Jessica Kincaid Snow is a Virginia native who is originally from Radford, according to public records. Snow graduated from Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia, in 2006, with a degree in music education, according to the school’s website.
On her Twitter profile, Snow wrote in her bio, “Chorus & Music Teacher at Galax HS & MS, Singer, Pianist Un-Extraordinaire, Arranger, Conductor, Advocate.”
5. Snow Faces Up to 53 Years in Prison if Convicted of the Charges & Is Scheduled to Appear in Grayson County Circuit Court in October
Jessica Kincaid Snow faces several decades in prison if convicted of all the charges filed against her. The maximum sentence for all of the combined charges is 53 years in prison. She was indicted on three misdemeanor charges and five felony charges.
Snow could also be required to register as a sex offender.
According to Virginia state law, contributing to the delinquency of a minor is a misdemeanor, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in jail. Indecent act with a child by a custodian is a class 6 felony. That carries between 1 to 5 years in prison. Use of communications system (a computer) to facilitate certain offenses involving children is also a class 6 felony carrying a potential sentence of 1 to 5 years in prison.
The most serious charge she faces is enticing a minor to perform in pornography. According to state law, the charge carries a potential sentence of 5 to 30 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, when the victim is less than 15 years of age and the suspect is more than 7 years older than the victim.
Snow is scheduled to appear in court in Grayson County Circuit Court on October 26, 2018.
