After a young teacher allegedly ignored warnings about getting too close to students, she was charged with allegedly raping a 16-year-old high school student. In a further twist to the case, the student’s father was also hit with charges.
Hailey Nichelle Clifton-Carmack — a 26-year-old mother of two who hails from Waynesville, located close to St. Louis, Missouri — was hit with multiple charges. These include first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree statutory rape, sexual contact with a student, and fourth-degree child molestation.
Official reports indicate that the inappropriate contact between the teacher and the student reportedly took place during school hours at Laquey High School, with some pupils reportedly acting as “lookouts.” According to the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department, the matter was brought to light when the resource officer at the school informed them about it.
After further investigation, a fellow student presented evidence of the inappropriate relationship, which included images of scratch marks on the back of their classmate. During an incident that happened in the student’s driveway, Hailey Nichelle Clifton-Carmack allegedly left these marks. She had recently separated from her husband. Allegedly, the victim had bragged that he was the reason Clifton-Carmack’s divorce was pushed through.
Clifton-Carmack was approached by detectives at Laquey High School. After seizing her phone, the authorities discovered text messages that provided evidence to back the allegations that she had been involved with the 16-year-old student. The pupil who brought the relationship to light also noted Clifton-Carmack’s too-friendly conduct with students and her choice of wearing clothing that was either too tight or too revealing, which frequently resulted in warnings from school administrators.
In a further twist to the case, Mark Creighton, the father of the student who was involved in the incident, is being charged with allowing his son to have sexual contact with Clifton-Carmack. A witness informed Creighton of the sexual relationship that had taken place between his son and Clifton-Carmack, which made the situation more serious.
It was disconcerting to hear Creighton’s response. He reportedly said, “They are going to do it behind my back, so I may as well let it happen.” In fact, he gave the impression that he was willing to lie for his son. After that, Creighton was taken into custody in the state of Missouri and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. It was ordered that he not come into contact with Clifton-Carmack.
Kent Stoumbaugh, the Laquey R-5 School District Superintendent, said that Hailey Nichelle Clifton-Carmack had not been working in the district since the accusations came to light. He noted that while charges don’t indicate guilt, such alleged behavior is intolerable and doesn’t align with the district’s expectations of its staff.
“We have been made aware of criminal charges being filed against an employee for alleged misconduct,” Stoumbaugh said. “We understand that charges are not the same as a conviction and the employee is to be considered innocent until proven guilty. We must stress, however, that the alleged misconduct is inexcusable and does not meet the professional standards for district employees.”
