Erika Mattson, Panama City teacher at Kaleidoscope School of Discovery, arrested having sex with 18 year old student after he sees her crying.
A Florida middle school teacher is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student at her school in Panama City.
Erika Mattson, 36, a teacher at Kaleidoscope School of Discovery, was arrested on April 10 and charged her with a single count of authority figure engaging in sexual conduct with a student, according to a release from the Panama City Police Department.
Notice of the alleged indiscretion came after the student told officers that he and Mattson embarked on a ‘sexual and romantic relationship’ starting in May 2023.
Abuse of authority figure of position of trust and power
‘The victim stated that the relationship began after he saw [Mattson] crying in her classroom and approached her,’ according to an arrest affidavit cited by the Panama City News Herald.
Mattson had been the student’s middle school teacher at Kaleidoscope School of Discovery years prior but at the time of the relationship the student was 18 and attending the high school, which was housed in the same building as the middle school, according to the affidavit.
The student told police that he and Mattson began to message each other and started “flirting,’ which eventually resulted in the pair deciding to go on a date.
The student said that he and Mattson went to a local movie theater but ‘never made it inside,’ and instead ‘talked and made out.’
A few days later, the student went to Mattson’s home and the two engaged in sexual intercourse, according to the affidavit.
Numerous amounts of sex
‘The victim could not advise exactly how many times the two engaged in sexual activity while he was still enrolled in school but advised it happened numerous times before he graduated,’ the affidavit stated according to People Mag.
The victim told police they continued the relationship after he graduated and provided authorities with photos of himself shirtless being ’embraced and kissed’ by Mattson according to the affidavit.
Even though the student was 18, police said the teacher violated state statute because she was an authority figure at the school the student was enrolled in.
Mattson was booked into the Bay City Jail on Thursday and then released after posting $25,000 bond. She is now due back in court on May 15 to be arraigned in the case.
She is choosing to represent herself in the case, according to court records.
