"Former Teacher Admits to Sexual Assault of Teen at Arkansas Church: The Reagan Gray Case"

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"Former Teacher Admits to Sexual Assault of Teen at Arkansas Church: The Reagan Gray Case"

[!CDATA[A former teacher has admitted to sexually assaulting a teenager she met while volunteering at a church in Arkansas. Reagan Gray, who was 23 at the time, began assaulting the 15-year-old boy in 2020 after they met at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. The victim reported that Gray engaged in sexual acts with him but claimed they did not have intercourse to "stay pure." Gray pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the second degree and was sentenced to six years' probation, a $1,000 fine, and registration on the sex offender list. She is prohibited from contacting the victim and was fired from her job at Sylvan Hills Middle School. The victim's parents discovered explicit text messages and nude photos exchanged between Gray and the teenager in 2020, which they reported to the church's pastor at the time, Steven Smith. Despite being confronted by Smith, Gray denied any physical relationship. Gray, who also worked as a teacher at Little Rock Christian Academy, was removed from the student ministry and required to attend counseling. However, she later returned to the church youth group. An investigation was launched in 2024 when authorities learned that Gray had continued to communicate with the teen via Snapchat. The abuse, which occurred around 12 times, took place in Gray's car or apartment, according to the victim's statements to the police. Pastor Smith resigned from his position due to the controversy surrounding the case.]]