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Teacher charged with sex offense involving student

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - A teacher in southwest Charlotte is facing multiple felony sex offense charges involving a student.

Raphael Yeary, 45, teaches social studies, chess and weightlifting at Marie G. Davis Military and Global Leadership Academy which is a magnet school for middle and high school students. The campus is located at 3343 Griffith Street off South Tryon Street, just east of I-77.

A source with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools said the alleged affair started with texting between Yeary and a female student.

Police say someone called Department of Social Services with a tip involving the teacher and the 16-year-old student.

Police say the relationship was consensual.

Detectives believe the relationship recently started and none of the encounters happened on school grounds.

"Everything that happened, happened outside the school day and over the spring break holiday," said CMS Detective Kenny Lynch.

Parents on Tuesday were shocked to hear a teacher is charged with having a sexual relationship with a student and sending her nude photos of himself.   

"You hear so much about it, but I am surprised to hear about it at my daughter's school," said Sarah Thomas who has a student enrolled at the school.

Parents of students at Marie G. Davis received an automated phone message from Lawrance Mayes, the school's principal, about the situation on Tuesday. The message was sent out through CMS's ConnectEd and stated:

At Marie G. Davis, our top priority is to provide your child with a quality education in a safe and orderly environment. We also believe that it is extremely important to keep the lines of communication open between home and school. With that in mind, I want to provide you with the information that I can share regarding a situation at our school.

Last night, a teacher was arrested and charged with sexual activity with a student (Felony) and disseminating material harmful to minors (Misdemeanor).

The CMS and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Departments are investigating.

The teacher is suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation. We're deeply concerned about this matter and our students' safety and we are cooperating fully with the investigation. 

Since this is a personnel issue and an active criminal investigation, I hope you understand I cannot share any additional details.

We remain committed to providing a quality education for every child and hope that you will continue to partner with us in this endeavor.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at 980-343-1735.

Yeary is charged with 3 felony counts of Sex Offense Involving a Student, and 2 misdemeanor counts of Disseminating Material/Perform Harmful to Minors, according to the Mecklenburg County Jail website. Yeary is being held on a $100,000 secured bond at the jail.

Yeary had his first court appearance Tuesday at the Mecklenburg County courthouse. He was appointed a public defender and his next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, May 6.

Yeary was hired by CMS in 1998 and he started working at Marie G. Davis Military and Global Leadership Academy in 2008. CMS says Yeary was suspended with pay on Monday, April 25.

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