Brighton teacher made threat, student says
By Ivan Moreno, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published December 8, 2007 at 12:30 a.m.
A Brighton teacher suspected of sexually assaulting one his students allegedly told the teen to perform a sex act or get a bad grade, according to a court document obtained by 9News.
Ralph Kelly, 34, was arrested after midnight Thursday, hours after the student told Brighton police of the alleged incident.
Kelly, who is from Ireland, was released from the Adams County Jail Friday on $20,000 bond after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lifted its hold on him, said Sgt. Candi Baker, a sheriff's office spokeswoman.
The student said Kelly told him, "If you cherish your grades, you'll do what I say," before exposing himself to him and having the teen perform a sex act on him, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by 9News.
The student alleges the incident happened in a classroom during school hours when the two were alone.
Kelly is the third Brighton Collegiate High School teacher in the past 18 months to be accused by a student of sexual assault.
Kelly is scheduled to appear in Adams County Court at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, when the district attorney's office will decide what charges to file.
Rod Blunck, superintendent of School District 27J, said the district is monitoring the situation.
"We are now and will continue to scrutinize this issue and act in the best interest of our district," he said.
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December 8, 2007
1:30 p.m.
Suggest removal
Bing987 writes:
Three in eighteen months? Something else is going on here. Maybe the board has lax hiring practices or maybe the kids are conspiring to get rid of the unpopular teachers.