Paris Texas teacher arrested for student relationship www.privateofficer.com

PARIS, TX June 18 2010 — A former Lamar County teacher is accused of improper relationships with students. 27 year old Heather Dawn Merritt faces one count of sexual assault of a child and four counts of an improper relationship between an educator and student.

Merritt was arrested Tuesday and was released on a 75-thousand dollar bond. She was dismissed from Paris-Chisum ISD last week where she taught biology at the high school.

The charges stem from allegations that Merritt had sex with an underage boy. Merritt is also accused of having inappropriate contact with other students. Lamar County Sheriff’s investigators are still looking into the allegations.

Thursday’s online edition of The Paris News reported attorney James Rodgers accompanied Merritt as she arrived at the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday to turn herself in.

“We are still looking into everything, and when we find out more background we will see where this goes from here,” Rodgers said in The Paris News report. “She has been an outstanding person in the past, comes from a great family and is married and has a child of her own.”

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