December 4, 2023
Prosecutors: Charlotte Teacher Accused Of Having Sexual Relations With Student Was Caught In Act By Student’s Mother
A high school teacher in Charlotte is accused of having a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student.
A teacher at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been arrested after she was allegedly caught having sex with a student, WSOC-TV reports.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Gabriela Cartaya-Neufeld, 26, and the 18-year-old male student were caught in the act by the student’s mom at a park near the school. During a Nov. 28 court appearance, prosecutors say the mother used the tracking app Life360, to track her son and saw him at the park. She then drove there, saw the two engaging in a sex act, and took photos of the car and license plate before calling the police.
Cartaya-Neufeld was arrested at the scene. She was later charged with five counts of felony sexual activity with a student by a teacher and taken to the Mecklenburg County jail but has since bonded out. Court documents show the pair started engaging in a sexual relationship at least five times since October 2023, with encounters happening at the student’s mother’s home, Cartaya-Neufeld’s home, and in a car.
According to WCNC, the teacher graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, and has worked for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools since 2020, teaching biology and AP biology for ninth to twelfth-grade students at the high school.
Since being arrested, Cartaya-Neufeld has resigned from her post after being suspended with pay.
Prosecutors said rumors about the student-teacher relationship had been floating around campus for months, with administrators questioning both about it. The student’s mother first heard about her son’s relationship during Thanksgiving and started to get suspicious when he didn’t attend rugby practice, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors added the student has threatened to run away and are concerned that he will run away with the teacher. A judge ordered Cartaya-Neufeld to wear an electronic monitor for precaution. After appearing in court, she was silent as reporters asked about the allegations against her.
“Although I cannot discuss personnel information, I wanted to inform you that we take this matter seriously,” South Mecklenburg principal Marc Angerer said in a statement to parents and students. “We share your concerns regarding this situation,” Angerer wrote. “The safety and security of our students and staff is of the utmost importance to us all, and while this is a troubling situation, it is being managed by law enforcement.”