WEST MONROE, La. – A teacher in Louisiana was arrested Wednesday and is accused of sending a 15-year-old boy nude photos and inappropriately touching him in her car with her young child present, according to reports.
Tatum Hatch, 32, was a teacher at West Monroe High School when the allegations occurred. She was taken into custody Wednesday after she and the teen exchanged indecent messages for about a year and a half in which she suggested he come through her bedroom window to have sex with her, court documents revealed, KTVE reported.
The investigation was launched on December 15, 2023, when the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the West Monroe Police Department about a student who claimed to be in an inappropriate relationship with a teacher.
Deputies then met with the victim and viewed his cell phone. Officials noted an Instagram message thread that was screen-recorded on the device. In the messages, Hatch reportedly told the student that she wanted the two to have sexual intercourse and advised the teen to come through the window of her bedroom.
The investigation also revealed that about a year prior, the pair met up near the victim’s home, where Hatch is accused of fondling the boy’s genitals while her infant was in the car, court docs said, KTVE reported.
The teacher also once told the teen she was scared he’d find someone else to be his “first” after the boy told her he feared moving forward with a physical relationship, the station reported.
However, the illicit relationship was exposed when the victim’s father learned about the ongoing encounters and contacted police, the New York Post reported.
The boy said Hatch sent nude selfies, but the images disappeared since she used vanish mode on Instagram.
However, at least one nude photo was recovered as a result of an electronic forensic search, according to court documents.
During an interview with law enforcement authorities, Hatch acknowledged communicating with the boy through Instagram, but didn’t answer some questions because she was afraid she’d lose custody of her children, KTVE reported.
Tatum Hatch was a teacher at West Monroe High School in Louisiana. (West Monroe High School)
Hatch was placed on administrative leave when the investigation was launched on Dec. 15, before eventually resigning from employment as a teacher on Dec. 26.
She’s facing the criminal charge of computer-aided solicitation of a minor.
