Heather Lynne Pecht, Lookout Mountain elementary school teacher in Chattanooga, Tennessee, charged with child abuse and neglect following claims of years of ongoing abuse of her own two kids and recent incident at Ruby Falls parking lot.
A first-grade teacher at a Chattanooga, Tennessee, elementary school is accused of assaulting her own children following an incident in the parking lot at Ruby Falls earlier this month.
Heather Lynne Pecht, 47, was booked on two counts of child abuse and neglect following her arrest on Dec. 26, following reports of child abuse on December 12th.
‘Pinching, scratching and biting’ of children
The teacher mom’s arrest follows an incident involving Pecht and her two children in which the parent is alleged to have ‘pinched, scratched and bitten’ her children according to an arrest affidavit.
Notice of the calamity came after the children’s father, while picking up the children from Pecht Dec. 12, allegedly noticed scratches and scabs all over their hands, with the parent stating that the children saying their mother was responsible.
The children told police they were in the car with their mother in the Ruby Falls parking lot when the alleged abuse happened, according to an arrest affidavit.
‘Somehow Heather’s phone ended up in the back seat,’ the affidavit said. ‘She started screaming at them for the phone, telling them to give her the phone immediately.’
One of the children told police they were trying to retrieve the phone when Pecht began ‘pinching and scratching’ them, continuing until one of the children got out of the car to get away, the affidavit stated. The other child gave the same account, adding when he attempted to push Pecht’s hands away, ‘she grabbed him and bit his hand.’
Police found injuries consistent with allegations, the affidavit cited by the Chattanooga Times Free Press stated.
Years of ongoing alleged child abuse
The children and father alleged the abuse had been going on for years and was still happening ‘about once a week,’ the affidavit said. The father told authorities an earlier incident reported in Dunlap in Sequatchie County and next door in Marion County went unaddressed after jurisdiction issues arose, and the complaints were never investigated by law enforcement.
Authorities said they were additionally concerned about Pecht’s position as a teacher at Lookout Mountain Elementary School, the affidavit said. None of the allegations against Pecht involved other children.
Hamilton County Department of Education officials to date declined to comment on Pecht’s arrest and her employment status.
Pecht is free on a $1,000 bond, and she faces a court date Jan. 27, 2026.
