Louisville, Kentucky: Sydnee Graf, 36, a fifth-grade math teacher at Smyrna Elementary School in the Jefferson County Public Schools district, was initially arrested on December 15, 2025, after Jefferson County Public Schools police alerted Louisville Metro Police that Graf had allegedly engaged in sexual conversations with one of her students during a virtual non-traditional instruction day. The victim was under 12 years of age, police said.
Court documents and arrest records confirmed that detectives reviewed screenshots and video recordings of conversations between Graf and the child that included discussions of oral sodomy, according to multiple Louisville-area news outlets. Police said Graf arranged to meet the student and was arrested while picking him up near his home. After being read her Miranda rights, Graf admitted to having the conversations, according to her arrest citation.
She was initially charged with procuring or promoting the use of a minor by electronic means, a felony, and was arraigned on December 16. Officers who searched her vehicle at the time of arrest also found hydrocodone and Adderall pills, court records show, resulting in separate drug charges.
The case escalated significantly in January 2026 when a grand jury returned an indictment. Court records filed in Jefferson County confirmed Graf was indicted on January 20 on charges of first-degree rape of a victim under 12 years of age, first-degree sodomy of a victim under 12 years of age, and unlawful transaction with a minor under 16.
Graf pleaded not guilty to all charges on January 21. Her bond was subsequently raised to $500,000 cash, and a judge ordered her to have no contact with any minors unless supervised by another adult and restricted her internet access to phone use only.
Graf is a married mother of two, according to court documents.
The NY Post reported on April 16 that Graf is now facing 25 total sex crime counts involving two students.
In a letter to parents following Graf’s initial arrest, Smyrna Elementary School Principal Amanda Cooper confirmed Graf had been reassigned away from classroom duties and would have no contact with students during the investigation.
