ZACHARY, La. – A teacher at Northwestern Middle School in Zachary, La. is accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy.
Ellarea Breedlove Silva, 34, is charged with one count of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile, and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Additional charges may be pending. Her bond has been set at $225,000 by Judge Ron Johnson, WAFB reported.
A joint investigation between the Zachary Police Department and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office was launched after accusations surfaced of an inappropriate relationship between Silva and a former student of the middle school.
Silva was the recently placed on leave from the school. In an affidavit, the victim said Silva first contacted him through their school email system, but they moved communication to their personal accounts so the school couldn’t track their messages. This allegedly escalated to the defendant sending nude pictures and video selfies, in which she made sure not to capture her face, the teen said according to the official account, reported Law&Crime.
The boy alleged that the relationship became physical before summer 2019, according to the affidavit. He claimed that at one point, she brought him to her home without his parents’ permission, and gave him a pink E-cigarette vaping device that contained THC. The teen said they had sex a total of 8 to 9 times during that summer, according to authorities.
“After the Victim decided to disclose his relationship with the Accused, the Accused and he exchanged additional text messages,” according to the affidavit. “The Accused asked the Victim not to disclose due to how his disclosure would affect her career and her family.”
A clerk with the East Baton Rogue Parish 19th Judicial District Courthouse told Law&Crime that no attorney of record is listed.
Silva, a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, became a science teacher at the middle school in 2010, The Advocate reported.
“The Zachary Police Department and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office have been handling this investigation,” Zachary Schools Superintendent Scott Devillier said in a statement to WAFB. “Immediately, when it was brought to our attention, we reported it to law enforcement and placed the employee on administrative leave. No one is covering up anything, nor sweeping anything under the rug. We are following the law; and I am unable to comment beyond this information.”