Teacher faces charge of sex with student - he denies that act occurred while tutoring girl, 15

The Dallas Morning News ^ | January 29, 2004 | By KATHERINE MORALES and SCOTT STAFFORD / The Dallas Morning News

[MeekOneGOP]

Teacher faces charge of sex with student

He denies allegation that act occurred while tutoring girl, 15

03:22 AM CST on Thursday, January 29, 2004

By KATHERINE MORALES and SCOTT STAFFORD / The Dallas Morning News

A Coppell High School social studies teacher surrendered to police Wednesday and was arrested on a felony charge of sexual contact and indecency with a child.

Duane Masengill, 34, was suspended from his job Jan. 14, when a student filed a complaint with Coppell police. According to the arrest warrant, a 15-year-old girl said she had sexual contact with Mr. Masengill during a 7 a.m. tutoring session the previous day at the school.

"He vehemently denies the accusations," said Mr. Masengill's attorney, Ted Steinke of Dallas.

Also online

Video: Mary Ann Razzuk reports

Mr. Masengill, an eight-year employee of the district, posted bond and was released. He remains on paid leave from the district.

Tamarah Ringo, Coppell school district spokeswoman, said the arrest was the first in the district in recent memory.

"All of our teachers have criminal background checks," she said. "The last checks were completed in December." She added that his record was clean at the time.

Mr. Masengill, who contributed a geography quiz to The Dallas Morning News' travel section for several years, lives with his wife and young child in Little Elm.

Mr. Steinke said it could be as long as a month until a grand jury hears any evidence in the second-degree felony case.

If he is not convicted, school officials would determine whether there was a faculty position for Mr. Masengill, said Judy Denman, the district's director of human resources.

Mr. Masengill's position is being filled by another teacher indefinitely, officials said.

"This is the kind of thing that has a ripple effect throughout a school district," Mrs. Ringo said. "Our first priority is to take care of our students and staff."

E-mail kmorales@dallasnews.com

and sstafford@dallasnews.com

---

Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012904dnmetcoppellteacher.38151.html

[Conservababe]

Billy Graham has made it a life long habit to never be in a room alone with a woman unrelated to him during his ministry career.

[Dan from Michigan]

If he's guilty, nail his ass. If he's innocent, nail her for filing a false police report.

[Huck]

LOL. When I was 15, it was a love hate relationship ;-)

[John Beresford Tipton]

He probably didn't have much of a life anyhow, with a last name like that.


LOL,
I think Prince Charles might have an opening for him.

[MeekOneGOP]

I remember just such a case as that posted here on FR.

The young girl had accused the man and AFTER the entire process had taken place and he went to prison, she recanted her story, saying that she never figured that her lie would land him in the slammer. I think he got out, but not sure ...

[ricks_place]

A couple of years ago two High School girls in Montgomery County Maryland accused a teacher of sexual abuse. The teacher was put on leave. The girls under pressure later confessed that they fabricated the whole story.

[Dan from Michigan]

Smart move.

[MineralMan]

"Billy Graham has made it a life long habit to never be in a room alone with a woman unrelated to him during his ministry career."

Yes, he did, and he was never accused of anything. Jimmy Swaggart should have done the same, I guess.

It's a good plan, in general.

[MineralMan]

"If he's guilty, nail his ass. If he's innocent, nail her for filing a false police report."

If he's innocent, his career is still over. The only protection is to set that rule about never being alone with students and follow it religiously.

An accusation against a teacher is a career killer.

[Sender]

That is quite possible. It would not be the first time a scorned or flunked or otherwise offended teenage girl made a false accusation against a teacher. We should give this guy the benefit of the doubt...unfortunately the school system won't.

[cajun-jack]

she is a "head" case

pun intended or not??? lol

[Republicus2001]

foul-mouthed anyway

[Texagirl4W]

I was just listening to a live report from Coppell (on KRLD radio) where students were having a rally for the teacher. They insist he is innocent and the rally was in his favor. Very sad, no matter which way this goes.

[TalBlack]

"....However, here again we have a case where a child's word is the only 'proof' that a crime has been committed."

This was pretty much the case in the Salem witch trials. We all know how that turned out.

How is it that an arrest can be made in such a case as this? When did it happen that a mere charge can result in arrest? When did the cops stops asking: 'what proof is there of the charge?' and in the absence of same when did they stop advising: 'we cant deprive a citizen of his freedom without proof'?

Is it as Rush says that the seriousness of the CHARGE is all that is necessary to make an arrest?

I don't care what anybody says, if this case is a bare as it reads then we don't live in America anymore.

[Benjo]

About ten years ago an LA Times reporter spent an entire year in a school in the San Ferndando Valley to write a series of stories about what was really going on in the schools. He quotes a couple of girls on the feasibility of accusing a middle aged male teacher of molestation because "he grades too hard" (quote from memory here). And in fact before the year was over a student accused the teacher of looking down her blouse while he was leaning over her desk to help her with a math problem during class.

I have my doubts whether the teacher was really trying to look down her dress in front of 30 other students. But what if he was? Who was hurt? A lot of young women these days wear open necked blouses negligently unbuttoned for the express purpose of attracting men to look there. It's hard wired on both sides. It puts a bounce in a man's step and brings a glow to the woman's cheeks. People who are offended need to recalibrate their indignation meters.

[MeekOneGOP]

Interesting. Thanks.

Did they make any comments regarding character ?? .... either his or hers ?

[TheBattman]

At minimum, this teacher is guilty of bad judgment. At worse, he needs to be castrated and hung from a tree....

But seriously, if he is guilty, he deserves anything the law can throw at him. Unfortunately, if he is not guilty of the charges, his career is still likely over. Certainly he is done at that school:

If he is not convicted, school officials would determine whether there was a faculty position for Mr. Masengill, said Judy Denman, the district's director of human resources.

[CurlyDave]

LOL... a guy named after a popular feminine hygiene product.

Actually, the "popular feminine hygiene product" was named after the guy who created it. So it stands to reason there might be a lot more guys with that name.

Same thing for Diesel—the engine was named after the man who invented it.

[Texagirl4W]

They weren't saying anything about her, just him. I only heard about 10 minutes from work to home. But they were definitely defending him.

[MeekOneGOP]

Oh, I see. Kind of what I thought. So it sounds like, from the students perspective, that he is being framed.

Well, if so, what a shame then, that a (young) person can likely ruin another's life with such disregard.