Rebecca Ryan (Photo courtesy Outagamie County Sheriff's Office)
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A former Appleton West High School teacher was charged with three counts of sexual assault of a student by a staff member for allegedly having an on-going sexual relationship with a student – accusations she denied in an interview with police.
Rebecca Ryan, 43, made an initial court appearance Thursday, where a $50,000 cash bond was set. She returns to court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.
The defense asked for a signature bond. The prosecutor asked for a $50,000 cash bond. The alleged victim, now 25, appeared electronically, asking for a higher bail than that, and certainly not a signature bond.
The victim reported the incidents to police about two months ago. He said they had sex several times. The first time was in an overflow parking lot of the high school, and others were in different parking lots. The alleged encounters took place between Sept. 1, 2017, and Jan. 1, 2018.
Last month, police recorded a call the victim made to Ryan, who said she is now a nanny. He tried to ask about the alleged interactions while he was in high school, but Ryan did not respond, the complaint states.
Police later interviewed Ryan.
“Sgt. Schnese further reports that he asked Rebecca about her first sexual encounter with VICTIM 1 that took place in the overflow parking lot near Appleton West. Rebecca mumbled to herself, “overflow lot. Near Appleton West?” Rebecca indicated she did not remember being in the overflow lot with VICTIM 1. Sgt. Schnese reports that he looked over at Rebecca and observed that she was breathing with shallow breaths. Shortly thereafter, Rebecca placed her head in her hands and said, “I did not sleep with [VICTIM 1].”
After Ryan’s arrest, the Appleton School District issued this statement: “Rebecca Ryan was employed by the Appleton Area School District from August 29, 2016, through February 9, 2018. During her time with the district, there were no reports or allegations involving inappropriate contact with students. We are committed to partnering with the Appleton Police Department as needed to support any ongoing investigations.”
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