A Mt. Carmel High School drama teacher pleaded not guilty Friday to a sexual relationship with an underage student that charges say lasted several months.
Stacy Michelle Walker, 40, faces 17 sex crime-related charges filed in San Diego Superior Court. She faces 13 years in prison if convicted on all counts, Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Gerard said.
“Miss Walker engaged in a very inappropriate relationship with a student when she was 15 years old,” Gerard said during Walker’s arraignment. “This relationship then became sexual over the next two years.”
San Diego police said in a news release Thursday that the abuse occurred between 2017 and 2019. However, in the complaint filed by prosecutors, the charges against Walker relate to alleged incidents that occurred over a much longer period of time. short – from the end of 2018 to the end of May. 2019.
Walker remained in custody in lieu of more than $400,000 bail after her arrest Wednesday, but the prosecutor — citing Walker’s lack of criminal history and ties to the community — agreed to a request for a reduction in bail. his bail at $150,000. Judge Rod Shelton granted the request.
Walker’s attorney, David Boertje, declined to comment after the hearing.
No significant new details of the case emerged during the hearing. San Diego police said earlier this week that Walker began having conversations with the student when the girl was 15 years old. Later, this evolved into sharing explicit photos, videos, and text messages.
Police alleged that Walker met the girl several times and engaged in sexual acts, and that the incidents continued until the victim turned 18.
Gerard said the relationship ended in 2020 after the student, known in court as Jane Doe, turned 18.
Authorities have not said where the alleged incidents took place, or whether any occurred at the school located in Rancho Peñasquitos.
The student came forward to San Diego police last July and detectives immediately began investigating. A spokesperson for the Poway Unified School District said police informed the district of the allegations in August. Walker was placed on leave and she did not teach at Mount Carmel this school year. The district also opened an internal investigation.
Walker began working for the district in 2015.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 15.
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