Teacher arrested on five sex counts
By KURSTEN PHELPS
kphelps@gctelegram.com
Posted on Thursday, January 5, 2006 1:05:05 PM
A Garden City High School teacher was arrested Wednesday morning at the school's JD Adams Hall on allegations she had consensual sex with a 16-year-old male student.
Garden City police Capt. Mike Utz said officers arrested Nadine Nunnelee, 40, 2515 B St., No. 3, at 8:48 a.m. Wednesday at the school.
Nunnelee is accused of five counts of unlawful sexual relations with a minor. Utz said information about the alleged relationship was uncovered during an unrelated investigation involving a runaway.
Utz said in the course of an interview with a runaway, the runaway provided information leading police to investigate the alleged relationship between Nunnelee and the student.
The teacher is in custody awaiting formal charges.
Finney County Attorney John Wheeler said because Nunnelee was arrested on probable cause, not on a warrant, a judge has to review a police probable cause affidavit within three days of the arrest. Upon review, the judge will schedule a first appearance and set any bond.
Utz said the encounters allegedly happened between Dec. 17 and 25, 2005, at the teacher's residence.
Nunnelee, in her second year with USD 457, is listed as a school-within-a-school teacher, teaching English and algebra. The school-within-a-school program is designed to support freshmen students who need to improve their skills in Algebra I and English I. It offers smaller classes and is tailored to students' individual needs, USD 457 Public Information Officer Roy Cessna said.
Cessna said Nunnelee is currently suspended with pay while the investigation continues and that the district is cooperating with the police investigation.
Utz said the alleged victim is a student, but Cessna said he could not release student enrollment information because of privacy laws.
District policy on relations between staff and students calls for a professional relationship and prohibits sexual or racial harassment.
According to the policy, staff members "shall not have any interaction of a sexual nature with any student at any time regardless of the student's age or status."
Nunnelee, whose phone number is unlisted, could not be reached for comment this morning.