2008 Woodie Awards
Neb. teacher in custody, facing charges
Associated Press
Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: News
LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) - A middle school teacher accused of running away to Mexico with a 13-year-old boy when rumors started to swirl that they were having sex was due in court Monday to begin facing charges, three days after the pair was found.
Kelsey Peterson, 25, and Fernando Rodriguez, the subjects of a weeklong search, were taken into custody Friday without incident in Mexicali, Mexico, after the boy's relatives told police he had called home asking for money.
Peterson, a sixth-grade math teacher and basketball coach at Lexington Middle School, was turned over to FBI agents early Saturday. She was being held on federal charges at the Imperial County Jail in El Centro, Calif., and was scheduled to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge.
Authorities in Mexico said Fernando told police of vague but romantic plans with Peterson to scrap normal teenage life for a life of hiding in southern or central Mexico. Investigators have said they have recovered e-mails and letters in which they both express affection.
"The judge will advise Ms. Peterson of the charge (allegation) against her and her specific rights," FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth in San Diego said in a statement Sunday. He said there was no immediate indication if she had a lawyer to comment for her.
Peterson is charged in Nebraska with kidnapping, child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She also faces federal charges of transporting a minor across state lines or a foreign border for sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Joe Stecher said.
Kelsey Peterson, 25, and Fernando Rodriguez, the subjects of a weeklong search, were taken into custody Friday without incident in Mexicali, Mexico, after the boy's relatives told police he had called home asking for money.
Peterson, a sixth-grade math teacher and basketball coach at Lexington Middle School, was turned over to FBI agents early Saturday. She was being held on federal charges at the Imperial County Jail in El Centro, Calif., and was scheduled to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge.
Authorities in Mexico said Fernando told police of vague but romantic plans with Peterson to scrap normal teenage life for a life of hiding in southern or central Mexico. Investigators have said they have recovered e-mails and letters in which they both express affection.
"The judge will advise Ms. Peterson of the charge (allegation) against her and her specific rights," FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth in San Diego said in a statement Sunday. He said there was no immediate indication if she had a lawyer to comment for her.
Peterson is charged in Nebraska with kidnapping, child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She also faces federal charges of transporting a minor across state lines or a foreign border for sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Joe Stecher said.
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