McKenna Kindred broke down in tears at court as she apologised and said she was ‘deeply ashamed’ (Picture: Local KHQ/Facebook)
A teacher broke down in tears after hearing she would be spared jail for having sex with a teenage student.
McKenna Kindred, 25, apologised to her victim and said she was ‘deeply ashamed’ after pleading guilty on Thursday to sexual misconduct with a minor and communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
The former Washington high school teacher received a sentence of two years’ probation, in addition to $700 (£550) worth of fines and a requirement that she register as a sex offender for the next ten years.
Her relationship with the student reportedly began in June 2022 after the victim found her Instagram account.
In November of that year, while Kindred’s husband is understood to have been away on a hunting trip, the student came to the teacher’s house where they then had sex.
Speaking in court on Thursday, Kindred said: ‘I am truly sorry for my actions. I know that this past year has been enormously stressful for all involved.
‘As a result of my actions I’ve lost my career, valuable friendships, freedoms and have let down countless people who placed their trust in me.
‘My mental health has also been severely affected by this event. I am deeply ashamed of the pain I have caused.’
The victim’s mother said the teacher’s ‘predatory actions’ had been an ‘abuse of power’, and that since the incident ‘a light [the child] used to carry has been dimmed.’
Last year, Central Valley School District announced Kindred had resigned from her position at the school in Spokane Valley.
She was accused of inviting the underage victim to her home for sex while her husband was away on a hunting trip (Picture: Facebook)
It followed after the victim’s classmates informed school officials he and the teacher had been communicating inappropriately via social media.
The pair initially denied having a sexual relationship. Messages recovered from their devices did not appear to contain any ‘overtly sexual’ photographs, though some apparently contained references to masturbation.
