Amelia Ressler is a Georgia woman accused of 19 counts of child molestation after police say she filmed herself masturbating in front of a class of elementary school students while working as a substitute teacher. The 30-year-old Ressler was arrested on February 5, 2021, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release posted to Facebook.
Ressler was a substitute teacher at Mt. Zion Elementary School in Carrollton, Georgia, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators were notified about “allegations of misconduct by a substitute teacher” and learned Ressler, a Carrollton resident, “engaged in indecent and immoral acts while in the presence of school aged children and is being charged currently with 19 counts of child molestation and is currently in custody.”
The sheriff’s office added, “We appreciate the dedication Carroll County Schools has for the safety of their students as they are working diligently to communicate with all parents of students affected and we will continue to work closely with them during the remainder of the investigation.”
Here’s what you need to know about Amelia Ressler and her arrest:
Ressler Posted the 13-Second Video on Snapchat, Police Say
Ressler was seen on video touching herself inappropriately in front of a second-grade class, Carroll County communication director Ashley Hulsey told CBS 46. The class was being held in person, not over Zoom or on another video platform, police said.
“It’s disturbing. That’s what it is. Where she was sitting, it wasn’t like it was a closed desk where you couldn’t look up and visually see what she was doing at the time,” Hulsey told the news station. She said someone in the community saw the video and reported it to authorities.
“It appears she was masturbating while the classroom was full of kids,” Hulsey told Fox 5 Atlanta. “We obtained video evidence because she videoed it herself and disseminated it and we were able to get a hold of that evidence.”
Ressler posted the 13-second masturbation video on Snapchat that led to her arrest, according to The Exposure, a Facebook page that claims to be an anonymously published news source working for “the betterment of our communities.” The Exposure claimed to have seen the video and shared information about it. The Georgia-based social media page posted a screenshot of the video showing a person they say is Ressler, wearing leggings, with her feet up on a desk. Another screenshot shows what appears to be her hand in a mitten between her legs.
FacebookAmelia Ressler.
According to The Exposure, Ressler’s video started by showing the children in the classroom. She then pointed the camera at the front of her pants, according to The Exposure. The Facebook page said it was not clear from the video whether any of the students saw what she was doing. It was not clear based on publicly available information whether she exposed herself during the incident.
Officials with the Carroll County Schools have not commented about Ressler’s arrest. It is not yet known how long she had been working as a substitute teacher at the elementary school or what the hiring process was.
“We’re going to work very hard so that justice prevails,” Hulsey told CBS46. She told Fox 5 Atlanta, “It’s one of these things the kids are going through that they shouldn’t. The mental anguish that it’s causing these children and parents, that was our drive behind working this case, getting it down quickly, getting her put in jail as quickly as possible.”
Ressler Is Being Held Without Bail at the Carroll County Jail & Faces 5 to 20 Years in Prison if Convicted of Child Molestation
FacebookAmelia Ressler.
Amelia Marie Ressler was booked into the Carroll County Jail on February 5 and is being held without bail, according to online records.
Ressler does not have a prior criminal record. She was arrested in 2018 in Carroll County on a misdemeanor theft charge, but prosecutors dropped the case, public records show.
FacebookAmelia Ressler.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing and prosecutors could file additional or amended charges against Ressler. In the Facebook post, the Carroll County Sheriff said, “The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and Carroll County School system has been in contact with the District Attorney’s Office as State Law requires notification of allegations within 24 hours and we are working side by side with the District Attorney’s for their guidance and review of all allegations and charges.”
PinterestAmelia Ressler.
Husley told NBC News it will take weeks for investigators to conduct interviews with the 19 children who were in the classroom when the video was recorded. She said the investigators have obtained videos and photos showing Ressler masturbating, but additional charges could be filed based on what is learned from the students.
Ressler could not be reached for comment by Heavy and it was not immediately clear if she has hired an attorney who could comment on her behalf. It was also not known as of February 7 when she would be scheduled to appear in court for the first time.
Ressler, a Graduate of Mt. Zion High School, Is Divorced & Has Children
FacebookAmelia Ressler.
Ressler is originally from Carrollton and graduated from Mt. Zion High School in 2008. According to public records, Ressler was married and went by the name Amelia Ressler Alcantara. She has since divorced. She has children, but they are in the custody of their father, according to public records.
On her Facebook page, Ressler wrote in her bio, “I am beautifully broken, perfectly imperfect, just all together a dazzling disaster. But this is me.”
In a January 13 post alongside a selfie, she posted a meme saying, “keep your negative vibe the f*** away from me!” In a lengthy post in April 2020 she wrote:
I am EXTRAORDINARY!! I am BEAUTIFUL!! I am PROUD of the woman I am. I don’t need to compete, copy, or envy other women. I don’t need a man to validate my worth. The confidence that’s within me won’t allow me to stoop that low. I know I am WORTHY. I do not need to pretend to be anything other than myself. I am already more than ENOUGH!! My feelings, wants, and needs are valid. I WILL NOT allow insecurities to control me. I WILL shine! I WILL succeed! I am PATIENT and SELF CONTROLLED. I am RESPECTFUL and HUMBLE. I am SINCERE and LOYAL and COURTEOUS. I LOVE unconditionally and without ceasing. GOD has led me thus far and I will not falter now. I will be here, real and rare and true, NO MATTER WHAT!! I will continue to have FAITH because I know my PURPOSE! I empower, inspire, motivate, and celebrate others. I practice kindness and forgiveness. I’m not afraid of the truth. I make mistakes and I own them and learn from them. But depending on how you feel about yourself, you’ll either admire and respect me or you’ll hate me. Either way I WILL ALWAYS BE ME! 💯
A parent, identified only as Nicole, whose child was in the second-grade class told Fox 5 Atlanta she knew Ressler from high school. “My daughter had been bragging about the substitute, said they were having lots of fun, they played a lot of games. She graduated about the same time we did, so it just seems worse.”
A woman posted on the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, “She used to work at the gas station that I went into everyday! Never would I have thought she would do such a thing! I’m in complete shock!! Those poor kids..”
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