When a teenage boy missed an after-school sports practice, his mom used a popular family safety app to help locate him. After searching for her son on Life360, she reportedly tracked him to a car where a female teacher was allegedly sexually assaulting him. Police in North Carolina have arrested Gabriela Neufeld, 26, in connection with the alleged crime.
According to court documents, the teacher and student allegedly have had sexual contact at least five times since October 15, WBTV reported. She was arrested on November 30 and charged with five counts of sexual assault .
The teen’s mother reportedly found out about the alleged sexual encounters during Thanksgiving break.
The alleged victim’s mother became concerned about her son on November 29 when he reportedly did not show up at sports practice , WSOC-TV reported. She purportedly tracked him to a car and caught the pair in a sexual encounter.
The mother wasted no time in dealing with the situation.
WSOC-TV reported the mother took photos of the vehicle and the license plates and called police. Officers arrived and arrested Neufeld.
“On Wednesday, November 29, 2023, it was discovered that Ms. Neufeld, a teacher at South Mecklenburg High School, and an 18-year-old male student at South Mecklenburg High School had engaged in sexual activity in the 5300 block of Closeburn Road. Following an interview with CMPD detectives, Ms. Neufeld was transported to the Mecklenburg County Detention Center,” a release from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reads.
Neufeld reportedly taught at South Mecklenburg High School.
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Charleston Mecklenburg Schools confirmed that Neufeld was a teacher with the district and that she has been suspended, with pay, as of November 29, pending an investigation. The teacher has since resigned from her position, WCNC reported.
The school district informed parents of the alleged incident.
CMS issued a notice to parents regarding the alleged assault and shared it with WCNC. It reads as follows :
“Good morning South Meck High School families. This is Principal Marc Angerer with a message about a news story you may have seen regarding a South Meck teacher. Although I cannot discuss personnel information, I wanted to inform you that we take this matter seriously. We share your concerns regarding this situation. The safety and security of our students and staff is of the utmost importance to us all, and while this is a troubling situation, it is being managed by law enforcement. Thank you for your support of South Meck High School.”
The former teacher does not have a criminal history.
Attorney Brad Smith, managing member of Arnold and Smith, spoke with WBTV regarding the law when it comes to sexual assault involving a student in North Carolina.
" It’s unusual in the sense that the normal sexual statutory offenses all deal with students or kids that are under the age of 16," Smith said. “Whereas the exception to this is that you can be at the age of consent which an 18-year-old is, but if you have a sexual relationship with that person as a teenager then you’re committing a felony.”
Neufeld could face nearly four years in prison if convicted of the Class G felony but would not face the maximum sentence time as she has no prior criminal history, WBTV reported.
Per the news outlet, Neufeld was released on a $75,000 bond but must wear a GPS monitoring device and is barred from contact with the alleged victim, as his mother reportedly has concerns the pair may try to take off together.
