Staff Reports
A nationwide search is underway for a former substitute school teacher who reportedly had a sexual encounter with a youngster in a Minnesota classroom. At a mental health facility, 24-year-old Caitlin Thao disclosed to a social worker that she had a sexual experience with a 17-year-old male. She was using an empty middle school classroom at St. Paul City School when the incident happened. In February, Thao gave up her position as a stand-in teacher at a charter school in St. Paul.
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The victim informed police that he had a sexual contact with Thao approximately six weeks prior to reporting it to the authorities, according per court documents. The boy added that Thao asked him to her house following the meeting, but he turned her offer down. There was no more documented correspondence between the teenager and the former instructor.
The Ramsey County District Court has accused Thao with third-degree criminal sexual conduct. She might spend up to 15 years in prison and pay a $30,000 fine if proven guilty. Thao left in spite of the accusations and hasn't been seen since. As of Monday, there is a countrywide warrant out for her arrest, and no one has been able to locate her.
The St. Paul City School's acting executive director, Eric Fergen, notified the school's personnel, faculty, and parents of the accusations made against the former teacher in a letter. Fergen stated that the pupil and replacement teacher's interaction didn't take place during regular school hours.
