Courtesy J. Reuben Long Detention Center
A Pee Dee teacher facing sex charges in Darlington and Horry counties is out on bond. Carole Ann Hope, 36, is charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct Second Degree With a Minor and Lewd Act With a Minor. Horry County Magistrate Judge Aaron Butler set her bond at $5,000 for each charge Thursday afternoon.
State Law Enforcement Division officers say Hope had sexual relations with a 14-year-old male student in her Hartsville home and an Horry County hotel. The arrest warrants say the incidents happened between March 1 and October 31 of this year.
Hope's lawyer Billy Monckton says his client is fairly distraught, "She's been in custody the last several days she was in custody in Darlington County was brought down here last night.".
In court, the boy's mother told the judge "this incident has destroyed my family, this has destroyed my son." She asked that Hope not be released.
"As a parent myself, I can understand the problem the mother is going through and I think what she said is what any parent would say based upon the circumstances and allegations in this case," added Monckton.
Judge Butler also issued a no contact order. Hope is not to have any contact with the boy in any way, including social media.
Hope is on administrative leave with pay at New Heights Middle School in Jefferson where she teaches.
