A Georgia middle school teacher faces deportation after being charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy and sending him nude photos, according to reports.
Rumah Byrapaka, 24, was arrested Thursday for allegedly texting nude photos and sending racy messages to the teen. She’s also accused of kissing and indecently touching the child at Hephzibah Middle School, the Augusta Chronicle reports.
Byrapaka, who is not a US citizen, was granted bond during a court appearance Tuesday, but will be placed in a federal detention center on an immigration hold if she’s released from custody, the newspaper reports.
She’s also expected to face new charges in addition to the accusations of child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes.
Byrapaka’s alleged victim is in love with her and has sneaked out of his home to meet the teacher, prosecutors from the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office claim.
Byrapaka — who taught physical science and social studies at the school, according to her now-deleted staff homepage — has been placed on paid administrative leave following her arrest, WRDW reports.
“We will continue to cooperate with the [Richmond County Sheriff’s Office] as the investigation progresses,” a spokeswoman for the Richmond County School District told the station.
If Byrapaka posts bond and is ultimately released from federal custody, a judge ordered her to have no contact with anyone under 18, including the alleged victim, and to surrender her passport to the district attorney’s office, the Chronicle reports.
She remained in custody early Wednesday in Richmond County in lieu of $27,700 bond, online records show.
