A former Florida middle school teacher is behind bars after police alleged she had a sexual relationship with one of her students.
Officers in Volusia County arrested 26-year-old Stephanie Peterson Ferri on Wednesday, booking her on three counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child under 18 years of age, according to arrest records. She’s being held on $25,000 bond.
According to NBC affiliate WESH-TV, the science teacher at the school in New Smyrna Beach had a relationship with the 14-year-old male eighth-grade student dating back to November.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that Ferri had been the victim's teacher the year before, adding the student spent time in her classroom where she would talk about her estranged husband, from whom she reportedly filed for divorce on Feb. 13 after being married for just over 14 months.
Ferri was being represented by her father, Phillip Peterson, a local attorney, according to the paper, which reported he declined to discuss the matter. A representative at his office did not provide a comment on the case to NBC Thursday.
Ferri and the victim would send nude photos to each other, according to investigators. She would allegedly later come over to his house and pick him up for several hours, having sex on multiple occasions at both her home and a barn near the victim's home.
The victim, who later told his parents about the alleged relationship, said Ferri also brought him marijuana and told him not to say anything to anyone, according to investigators.
Ferri, who started as a substitute teacher in 2010 before becoming a full time teacher in 2013, resigned from her job earlier in the week, according to the News-Journal.
This story is courtesy of our news partners at NBC Miami.
