Andee Michelle Lantz is the Oklahoma special education teacher facing a rape charge after prosecutors said she engaged in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student. CBS affiliate KWTV, citing local investigators, reported that Lantz admitted inviting the teen to her home and said they had sex on at least two occasions.
According to court records from Caddo County, an arrest warrant was issued on December 18. Bond was set at $15,000 on December 23 and Lantz was released the same day, inmate and court records show. Her next court hearing was scheduled for March 12.
Court records from a separate case in Caddo County show that Lantz, 26, is married with one young child. Her husband filed for divorce nearly three weeks before Lantz’s arrest.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Lantz Told Police the Teen Initiated a Kiss After a Homecoming Football Game & They Later Had Sex at Her Home
VineLinkAndee Lantz is the Oklahoma teacher accused of raping a student.
Carnegie Public Schools officials and parents in the district began asking questions about Lantz after a student circulated a nude picture of her, according to KWTV. The outlet reported that the school superintendent spoke with Lantz and the student involved but that both initially denied anything nefarious was going on.
But Lantz eventually admitted that she and the student spent time together after a homecoming football game. KWTV, citing court documents, reported that Lantz confessed to inviting the teen over to her house, where they had sex, after claiming the student had made the first move by leaning in for a kiss.
Online court records show Lantz was arrested by an officer with the Carnegie City Police on December 18. Heavy has requested a copy of the affidavit from the court clerk in Caddo County, Oklahoma. As of this writing, we had not yet received it.
2. Lantz Resigned From Carnegie Public Schools Before She Was Arrested
GoogleAndee Lantz resigned from Carnegie Public Schools weeks before she was charged with second-degree rape.
Lantz was teaching special education within the Carnegie Public Schools system when the sexual relationship with the teenager took place. According to KOKH-TV, Lantz resigned from the district in mid-November, weeks before she was arrested.
Lantz’s headshot and contact information have been removed from the school website. But a Google search of her name still brings up a link that leads to the middle school faculty directory, suggesting Lantz taught middle school students.
3. Lantz Is Licensed to Teach Special Education From Pre-K Through 12th Grade
Oklahoma State Department of EducationAndee Lantz has been a licensed educator in Oklahoma since 2016.
Lantz has been a licensed educator since at least 2016, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Her online profile shows she received authorization to teach elementary school in December 2016. The record notes she was allowed to teach students from first through eighth grade.
In September 2019, Lantz earned the appropriate certifications to teach special education. She was permitted to teach students across the spectrum, from “mild-moderate disabilities” to “severe-profound/multiple disabilities.” Lantz’s record shows she could work in any school level from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
Lantz’s social media profiles appear to have either been deleted or suspended. But a search of online records through Instant Checkmate suggests she attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University and graduated in 2016.
4. Lantz’s Husband Filed For Divorce & Requested Custody of Their Young Child
District Court of Caddo CountyAndee Lantz’s husband filed for divorce weeks before she was charged with second-degree rape.
Caddo County court records show Lantz’s husband filed for divorce on November 30. In the original petition, he wrote that the couple had been married since August 2016 but that they had since become “incompatible.” Lantz’s husband did not mention the rape accusation against her in the original court document.
Lantz’s husband included in the petition that he and Lantz have one child together who was born in September 2018. He requested custody of the toddler and “reasonable visitation” rights for Lantz. Her husband also requested child support.
District Court of Caddo CountyAndee Lantz’s husband filed for divorce weeks before she was charged with second-degree rape.
According to a document from December 22, it appears the judge has awarded joint custody of the toddler. But Lantz has been ordered to cover more of the monthly costs associated with child care because her gross monthly income was higher than her husband’s. It’s unclear whether her resignation from Carnegie Public Schools or the court case impacted the judge’s decision.
5. The Age of Consent in Oklahoma Is 16 But It’s Illegal For a School Employee to Have Sex With a Student Within the Same School System
The age of consent in Oklahoma is 16. But as in most states, the age of the student doesn’t matter in Oklahoma when it comes to sexual relationships between teachers and students. The relationship is illegal even if the student is at least 16-years-old.
Oklahoma’s legal code specifically defines sexual relations between a teacher and a student as rape:
Where the victim is at least sixteen (16) years of age and is less than twenty (20) years of age and is a student, or under the legal custody or supervision of any public or private elementary or secondary school, junior high or high school, or public vocational school, and engages in sexual intercourse with a person who is eighteen (18) years of age or older and is an employee of the same school system.
Lantz is facing a charge of second-degree rape, which is otherwise referred to as statutory rape. According to Coventon Criminal Defense in Oklahoma, the charge is a felony and carries a possible sentence of one to 15 years in prison if convicted. Anyone convicted must also register as a sex offender for the rest of their lives.
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