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Lexington County Teacher Touched Student in Her Classroom, Deputies Say

Samantha Lynne Knopsnyder, 26, is charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor

Lexington County, SC (WLTX) - A teacher was arrested Friday after allegedly having a relationship with a student at a Lexington County school.

Samantha Lynne Knopsnyder, 26, is charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor

Lexington County deputies say Knopsnyder kissed a former student at Sandhills Middle School between March and July 2017. She also had a relationship with the student, according to a report.

"Based on information detectives have gathered during our ongoing investigation, Knopsnyder inappropriately touched the victim while in her classroom," Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said.

Knopsnyder turned herself in Friday and is awaiting a bond hearing at the Lexington County Detention Center.

Lexington School District Four says she's been placed on administrative leave. They also issued the following statement:

"Lexington School District 4 learned today that a teacher assigned to Sandhills Middle School, Ms. Samantha Knopsnyder, was taken into custody for criminal charges involving a student. The District defers to Lexington County Sheriff’s Department concerning the arrest. Ms. Knopsnyder is currently on administrative leave. The District will make any further decisions regarding her status in accordance with Board Policy and our expectations for employees. Because this matter involves both a student and an employee, the District is taking every precaution to ensure the privacy rights of those individuals are being protected. To that end, the District will not make any other statements during this time.

"We continue to ensure that the safety of students and employees is our paramount concern and encourage any students and/or parents to contact their local school administrators if they need any support during this time. The District looks forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday for the start of the 2018-19 school year. "

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