Teacher sex case probe expands

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, June 13, 2001

By Scott North

Herald Writers

A 37-year-old Marysville woman who works as an elementary school teacher in Everett was ordered jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail Wednesday while detectives investigate allegations that she had sex with up to three teen-age boys.

Susan G. Lemery appeared briefly in Everett District Court, where Snohomish County deputy prosecutor David Kurtz alleged that two teen-age boys now claim she engaged them in sexual activity.

One of the boys, 14, told police that he had sex or sexual contact with the woman at her Marysville home on four occasions in March and April, according to a police report that prosecutors relied on Wednesday to convince Judge Roger Fisher there is probable cause to jail Lemery.

The document was obtained by The Herald under state public records laws.

The investigation is continuing, but prosecutors believe the woman may have had sex with "up to three" boys, all under 16, said Jim Townsend, the county’s chief criminal deputy prosecutor.

All of the alleged misconduct occurred in the Marysville area and there is no known connection to Lemery’s job as a second-grade teacher at Olivia Park Elementary School in south Everett, Townsend said.

Lemery was being held at the county jail in Everett for investigation of three counts of third-degree child rape and one count of third-degree child molestation. Prosecutors have until Friday to file charges or she must be released.

Third-degree rape occurs when there is sexual activity involving a victim 14 to 16 years old and a suspect at least four years older. It doesn’t matter whether the contact is consensual.

Lemery’s attorney, Brian Duce of Everett, told the judge her husband remains supportive, and he urged the woman’s release on $20,000 bail. Duce also asked the judge to ban media from the courtroom and to seal the case file from the public. Fisher granted none of those requests.

"At this time, the family has no comment on the allegations made against Susan Lemery," Duce said in a prepared statement. "As her attorney, I would only comment in saying that at this time no charges have been filed against Susan Lemery. This matter will be responded to if and when the prosecutor’s office decides to actually charge Susan Lemery with a crime."

Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen said detectives began investigating Lemery in late May after receiving a phone call from a citizen "concerned about what they believed was inappropriate behavior between a schoolteacher and a teen-age male."

Court papers show a sheriff’s detective interviewed the 14-year-old on June 7. It was during that interview that he made the alleged disclosures of sex at Lemery’s home.

The boy is not the same 14-year-old whose mother in November and December sought anti-harassment orders to bar Lemery from contact with her son after she caught him sneaking out of the house, allegedly to meet with Lemery, prosecutors said.

That teen is one of the three youths suspected of being abused, however, Townsend said.

Both that boy and Lemery have filed court papers denying any improper conduct.

The lawyer who represented the Marysville mother in the civil protection order action, Christine Hook of Everett, said she sent a letter to the Mukilteo district in January warning the school of her concerns. In court papers, the teen’s mother and others had warned that Lemery appeared to be grooming the child for an inappropriate relationship.

For the moment, Hook said her client doesn’t want to comment because she doesn’t want to compromise the ongoing investigation.

At Olivia Park Elementary, where Lemery taught for 10 years, the mood was somber.

"We were pretty shocked and shaken up over it, especially the staff at Olivia Park who know this person," Mukilteo School District spokesman Andy Muntz said Wednesday. "They have kids to teach today, and they’re trying to maintain composure in class, but I’m sure it’s a tough day for them."

Muntz spent much of the morning fielding questions from television and radio crews.

Lemery’s co-workers learned about the arrest late Tuesday before they went home.

"So they’re still absorbing it all," Muntz said.

Of the teachers Muntz spoke to, "they’re very surprised, very shocked. Several said they never would have expected something like this from this person."

Muntz emphasized that the allegations do not involve Mukilteo students, and that they are just allegations because Lemery hasn’t been charged.

The school district learned of the investigation Friday and placed Lemery on administrative leave Monday. She was arrested in Marysville on Tuesday.

At least one parent of an Olivia Park student said he believes the school district could have done a better job of alerting parents to the situation.

Arthur Stevens said he learned of the case after his 10-year-old daughter was called by one of her friends who had heard a television report about an Olivia Park teacher being arrested for investigation of rape.

"I know my daughter was freaked out," Stevens said. "We almost didn’t send her to school this morning because we didn’t know what was going on. They could have let us know on Monday, when they knew, so we didn’t have to find out on the news."

You can call Herald Writer Scott North at 425-339-3431

or send e-mail to north@heraldnet.com.