ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – A staff member at a Pennsylvania middle school has been charged with several crimes related to the sexual exploitation of males students at the location where she worked, authorities said.
Megan Carlisle, 37, of Elizabethtown, was identified as the suspect. She is facing one count each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, statutory sexual assault, and dissemination of sexual materials to a minor, according to a press release issued by the Northwest Regional Police Department.
Carlisle was employed by the Elizabethtown Middle School as a paraprofessional and in-school-suspension monitor. It was unclear whether she was terminated or resigned. Nevertheless, authorities now refer to her as a former employee.
“We can share that the behavior was sexual in nature,” an earlier statement released by the school district when the allegations first surfaced on May 4, according to LancasterOnline. “Rest assured that we will cooperate with any pending investigation.”
The woman was taken into custody on May 25, Law&Crime reported.
Carlisle is accused of groping a 15-year-old student during in-school suspension on April 28, according to investigators. Afterward, the school staff member reportedly sent the student as well as his 16-year-old friend a series of texts and Snapchat messages.
According to authorities, the private messages contained sexual content, including explicit selfies and nude video of herself. Although the Snapchat files were deleted after a short period of time, the 16-year-old male recorded them with his own cell phone and later provided the evidence to investigators.
During the evening of April 28, Carlisle picked the boy up, and the two engaged in sexual activity in her car in a parking lot, according to police.
After the sexual tryst, the boy reportedly told Carlisle that he needed money for food, and she sent him $20 via CashApp. The day after that, the student allegedly texted Carlisle and said he needed vape pods, according to a police affidavit obtained by WPMT in Pennsylvania.
Carlisle reportedly purchased four vape pods, met the boy in the same parking lot as the night before, gave him the vape pods, and drove away.
The nude images and video of Carlisle were shared to “an unknown number of other students,” according to police.
“The investigation also discovered the images and videos made by Carlisle have been sent and shared to an unknown number of other students in Elizabethtown School,” NRPD said in a news release.
The school district provided a statement to the press.
The Elizabethtown Area School District is aware of the charges filed against Megan Carlisle, former paraprofessional at the high school, for alleged sexual misconduct. While we do not generally make it our practice to comment on personnel or legal matters, we believe this situation necessitates a statement. As such, we are sharing the following information: Ms. Carlisle is no longer employed by the school. The District fully cooperated with local law enforcement on their investigation. We will have no further comments on this matter as it will be adjudicated in the courts.
The investigation remains ongoing since investigators said there is a large group of victims involved in case, Law&Crime reported.
After Carlisle’s arrest, she was booked at the Lancaster County Prison. Her bail was set at $200,000.
