Emma Ogle: Teacher Who Sexually Assaulted Student Killed in Murder-Suicide

Emma Ogle, the Garinger High School teacher in North Carolina, was found dead on November 6. The Huntersville Police Department is investigating if Ogle, 63, and her husband, Michael, 59, were killed in a murder-suicide. Police said the investigation into their deaths is ongoing.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Ogle’s Death Comes Less Than a Week After She Was Accused of Taking Indecent Liberties With a Student

Their deaths come less than a week after Ogle had been accused of taking indecent liberties and having sex with a student. Mecklenburg County jail records show that Ogle was taken into custody on October 31. The Charlotte Observer reports that Ogle was suspended with pay from her job the following day. Ogle was bonded out of jail on November 1. Her bond had been set at $10,000.

2. A Family Member Went to the Ogle’s Home on the Morning of November 6 After Michael Ogle Never Showed Up for Work

Huntersville Police Officer Odette Saglimbeni told the media that authorities had been called to the Ogle’s home around 8 a.m. after a family member said that Michael Ogle was dead inside the house. The family member had gone to the home after Michael Ogle failed to show up for work.

Saglimbeni said that Emma Ogle was also inside, barricaded and armed. A massive law enforcement response ensued, including Mecklenburg Medic and the North Mecklenburg SWAT team as well as hostage negotiators. While local schools were also placed on lockdown.

Saglimbeni said in the press conference, “Once our SWAT was able to gain entry into the home they did locate two deceased parties inside the residence and they were of Emma Ogle and Michael Ogle; they did suffer from gunshot wounds.” The officer added, “It’s a very unfortunate situation. It’s not a very common thing that we see here in Huntersville so when it happens it’s shocking.”

3. Ogle Had Been Teaching in the School District Since 2005

At the time of her death, Ogle had been a career and technical education teacher at Garinger High School and other schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg-area. Ogle began teaching in the school district in 2005 and had been a Garinger teacher since 2014. Prior to that, Ogle had been a teacher at Vance High School.

4. Authorities Believe Ogle Began a Personal Relationship With a 17-Year-Old Student in the Spring of 2019

Twitter/Emma Ogle

WSOC-TV reports that Ogle had begun a personal relationship with a 17-year-old student in the spring of 2019. The station says that investigators believe the relationship became physical in the summer. WCTI reports that authorities became aware of the abuse when the student told another staff member about Ogle. School officials later said that they did not believe that any of the sexual abuse took place on campus.

5. It’s Texas that Leads the Way in Prosecuting Teachers Accused of Abusing Students

In November 2016, Texas State Representative Tony Dale sought to pass legislation that would prevent, as Dale says, teachers merely resigning and moving. Dale said of his legislation, “HB 218 increases penalties and close loopholes that allow educators who engage in inappropriate relationships to resign and obtain employment in another district. This bill seeks to allow Texas the tools we need to get rid of teachers who prey on our children.”

Slate reported that female educators make up 4 percent of convicted rapists in teacher/student sexual assault cases in 2006. While in 2016, former Department of Education chief of staff, Terry Abbott, wrote in the Washington Post that teacher/student sexual assault cases were on the rise. For example, in Kentucky in 2011, the state saw the number of such cases nearly double.

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