Charge dropped against ex-teacher after she marries student

SARCOXIE, Mo. -- A former Southwest Missouri teacher who was charged with having sexual relations with a student is no longer facing prosecution because she and the student have married, prosecutors said.

Baylee A. Turner, 26, was charged in February 2019 with having sexual contact with a male student while she was in her first year of teaching English at Sarcoxie High School.

Nate Dally, an assistant Jasper County prosecutor, said the charge was dismissed because the marriage means the former student can no longer be compelled to testify against Turner, which makes prosecuting the case difficult, The Joplin Globe reported.

Turner has surrendered her state teaching license, which was the prosecutor's main concern, Dally said.

The probable-cause affidavit in the case does not say how old the student was at the time Turner was charged.