Florida teacher, 36, accused of having sex with 18-year-old student
'The victim stated that the relationship began after he saw [Erika Mattson] crying in her classroom and approached her,' police report said.
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A Florida teacher is accused of having sexual relations with an 18-year-old student she once taught in middle school.
A Panama City police report alleges 36-year-old Erika Mattson, who taught at the Kaleidoscope School of Discovery, had a sexual relationship with the pupil.
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Police said Mattson was arrested on April 10 and charged with one count of authority figure engaging in sexual conduct with a student, which is a felony.
According to an arrest report obtained by People, the student told officers that their “sexual and romantic relationship” began in May 2023.
“The victim stated that the relationship began after he saw [Mattson] crying in her classroom and approached her,” the affidavit reads.
Police said Mattson taught the student when he was in middle school several years ago. But at the time of the alleged relationship, the student was 18 an attending high school, which is in the same building as the Kaleidoscope School of Discovery.
Soon after, they began messaging each other and started “flirting.” They eventually went out on a date to see a movie but didn’t make it inside the cinema. Instead, they “talked and made out.”
The report alleged the pair had sex days later at Mattson’s home.
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“The victim could not advise exactly how many times the two engaged in sexual activity while he was still enrolled in school but advised it happened numerous times before he graduated,” the affidavit said.
The student also provided photos of himself shirtless and Mattson “embracing him” as well as “kissing,” according to the affidavit.
Despite the student being 18 at the time, police accused the teacher of violating a Florida statute because she was an authority figure at the school he was enrolled in.
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