army judge
Super Moderator
- Jurisdiction
- Texas
BELTON, Texas (KWTX) A former Belton ISD substitute teacher accused of sending lewd messages and nude photos and videos to a high school sophomore was indicted Wednesday for online solicitation of a minor.
Rachele Lynn Patino, 39, of Temple, was booked into the Bell County Jail after she turned herself in early June 15.
Her bond was set at $25,000, according to online jail records.
The investigation that led to the charge started in February after Belton police learned that a 15-year-old boy had made an outcry about inappropriate contact with a woman on Snapchat.
"Upon learning of accusations of inappropriate behavior by substitute Rachele Patino, she was immediately removed from the district's substitute list, and reports were made with the Belton Police Department as well as Child Protective Services," Belton ISD spokeswoman Elizabeth Cox said after the arrest.
The boy told investigators he met Patino at the end of his ninth grade year and said they began to "communicate over the internet and by cellphone," using Instagram and Snapchat, an arrest warrant affidavit says.
Over time the communications shifted from "basic conversations regarding the victim's age and what grade he was in…to sex based messaging," the affidavit says.
Patino sent the boy nude photos and videos, told him she was horny and "asked for pictures of the victim, which the victim sent," the affidavit says.
The boy said Patino told him she wanted to meet up with him "and that she had a Jeep with plenty of room in it and would be glad to pick the victim up," the affidavit said.
During an interview with investigators on Feb. 15, Patino admitted sending nude photos, the affidavit says.
"The suspect stated that she knew the victim was underage and that what she did was wrong," the affidavit said.
A search of her cellphone produced material "consistent with what the victim stated he received," the affidavit says.
Ex-local substitute teacher indicted for online solicitation of a minor
