Judge drops charges against Prue teacher accused of student rape
BY KENDRICK MARSHALL World Staff Writer
Thursday, December 06, 2012
12/06/12 at 4:50 AM
A Pawnee County judge dropped the charges against a Prue High School teacher who was accused in October of second-degree rape and furnishing alcohol to minors.
Associate District Judge Matthew Henry on Tuesday dropped second-degree rape and furnishing alcohol to minors, according to court records.
Katie Megan Hightower, 26, of Terlton had been charged Oct. 18 on accusations that she had sex with a student and provided alcohol to students in August, Pawnee Court District filings show.
It was alleged that she and four Prue High School students agreed to meet at her home following a football scrimmage Aug. 17.
Authorities said the group first met at a nearby lake and then went to a Walmart in Cleveland, Okla., where Hightower bought beer and pizza for the students, court records allege.
After leaving the Walmart, one of the students, a 16-year-old boy, allegedly drove Hightower's car to her home, the documents said. Hightower then allegedly accompanied the boy to her bedroom while the other students drank beer in her home.
After becoming bored, the other students went to knock on the bedroom door to inform Hightower and the boy that they were leaving; however, the students stopped after "hearing the sound of them having sex," court documents state.
The students then left without interrupting them, court documents indicate.
During interviews with authorities Aug. 30, Hightower said she did buy beer and pizza but that the beer was not for the students. Hightower also denied that the boy had driven her car.
The 16-year-old boy reportedly told deputies he had gone to the lake after the Aug. 17 scrimmage to drink alcohol and that he drove Hightower's car to Walmart that night, according to a Sheriff's Office report.
The boy denied having gone into Hightower's home. Instead, he said he had friends pick him up as soon as they arrived at the house, the report indicated.
After first denying having received calls and text messages from Hightower, the student later said he did receive inappropriate text messages from her, according to the report.
Authorities later revealed that the two exchanged 561 text messages in August.
Original Print Headline: Judge drops charges against teacher
Kendrick Marshall 918-581-8386
kendrick.marshall@tulsaworld.com
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Katie Megan Hightower: The 26-year-old Prue High School teacher had been charged Oct. 18 on accusations that she had sex with a student and provided alcohol to students in August, Pawnee Court District filings show. Associate District Judge Matthew Henry on Tuesday dropped second-degree rape and furnishing alcohol to minors, according to court records
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