Twin Falls, Idaho- A Bliss High School teacher allegedly had sex with a 16-year-old student, including once at a shop in the school, according to Gooding County court records.
Anna M. Bettencourt, 39, of Wendell, is charged with two counts of felony sexual battery of a minor. Police interviewed and arrested Bettencourt Tuesday, and she was arraigned Wednesday in Gooding County 5th District Court.
She was suspended with pay this week from her social studies teaching post, pending the resolution of the case against her, said Bliss School District Clerk Michelle Elliot.
Bettencourt and the male student allegedly had intercourse twice between Aug. 15 and Sept. 30 - once on the floor of the school's agriculture shop on a Sunday, and again in the boy's pickup truck after they met up at the school, according to court records filed Wednesday. According to court records, both the boy and the teacher admitted they had sex twice.
The boy "told some people about it, and it became very difficult for her (Bettencourt) to teach," court records show.
On Feb. 13 a school official called the Gooding County sheriff's office to report "possible sexual battery of a minor," according to police reports.
While interviewing school officials, authorities determined that a school aide had first heard about the alleged sexual encounters in November but had not reported it until Tuesday.
"That's a personnel issue now - they (school officials) are going to have to deal with that," said Gooding County Sheriff Shaun Gough. "The higher-ups didn't know."
Kevin Lancaster, superintendent of the 170-student school district, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
According to court records, the school aide gave deputies copies of text messages she said Bettencourt had sent to her. In the messages, Bettencourt allegedly acknowledges "text flirting" with the boy.
The boy told authorities the sexual relationship began six or seven months ago when Bettencourt began texting him sexually charged messages, according to court records.
"She said she was going through bad times in her life and she enjoyed the attention and made the mistake of engaging in very inappropriate text-messaging with him," according to court records.
Bettencourt was released from jail on her own recognizance, but ordered not to have contact with children other than her own.
She was distraught during her police interview this week, according to court records.
"She told me that she would rather die than hurt her children or her parents," Sheriff's Detective Jocelyn Nunnally wrote in her report.
Deputies are still investigating if there could be other victims, Gough said Thursday.
Bettencourt could not be reached Thursday for comment.
She has a preliminary hearing set for March 19 and faces up to life in prison if convicted, according to the Gooding County Prosecutor's Office. A special prosecutor will be requested in the case because of an unspecified conflict of interest.
