A former employee with the Forsyth School District could be facing a sentence of up to four years in prison for an incident of sexual contact with a student. 

According to court documents obtained by the Branson Tri-Lakes News, Katelyn Hester, 26, was charged with a class E felony of sexual contact with a student. The incident occurred on or between July 1 to July 31, 2021, while Hester was an employee of Forsyth High School.

On Oct. 28, 2021, Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the Taney County Sheriff’s Office Steve Huggins received information Hester had possibly engaged in sexual intercourse with a Forsyth High School student, while she was employed in the district, according to the probable cause statement. 

Huggins spoke to the student in question on Oct. 28, and the student told the officer he and Hester had sex six or seven times during the last school year. 

Huggins interviewed Hester on Nov. 2, 2021. 

According to the probable cause statement, Hester admitted to having sex with the student once in July in a wooded, secluded area near the Smoke Tree Hills Subdivision in Kirbyville. 

The student was over the age of 18 in July and the sexual encounter appeared to be consensual.

The Branson Tri-Lakes News reached out to the Forsyth School District and answered with a statement saying the safety of their students and cooperating fully with the investigation though no specific comments can be mad at this time on this personnel matter. 

The complete statement and the rest of the story can be found on the Branson Tri-Lakes News Website.

(Story by AJ Meakins, Branson Tri-Lakes News)