Jan 9, 2009 1:58 pm US/Eastern
Abington Teacher Charged With Raping Boy
ABINGTON (WBZ) ―
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Christine McCallum from her facebook page
WBZ
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Christine McCallum from her facebook page
WBZ/WBZ
An Abington school teacher pleaded not guilty Friday to several charges of statutory rape. Investigators say she had sex with a teen boy more than 300 times over a three-year period.
29-year-old Christine McCallum was arrested at her home in Rockland Thursday night.
Abington police chief David Majenski called her a "predator."
ALLEGED 3-YEAR AFFAIR
McCallum is accused of having consensual sex with the boy beginning three years ago when he was 13.
Investigators say they found several hand-written letters that she allegedly sent to him during the affair.
Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz said the boy's father went to authorities recently after he found those letters.
"The allegations are very disturbing, when you are alleging that a grown woman in a position of trust ... is allegedly having a sexual relationship with a child," Cruz said.
TEACHER FIRED
McCallum was a fifth-grade teacher at Woodsdale Elementary School in Abington. She was fired Friday.
Prosecutors say McCallum was a tutor for the alleged victim's younger brother.
A 'SURROGATE MOTHER'
Her attorney, Frederick McDermott, said there was no evidence McCallum ever had sex with the teen. He said she acted as the boy's surrogate mother, but that relationship ended in July 2007 after she caught the boy stealing liquor from her home.
She and her husband had rented a property to the boys and their father, who is a single parent.
McCallum has been married for five years.
THE CHARGES
Four of the charges are based in Rockland and the other three were in Abington.
She was arraigned in Brockton District Court this morning on the three counts of statutory rape in Abington.
She will be arraigned Friday afternoon in Hingham District Court on the charges in Rockland.
McCallum was ordered to stay away from the boy, his family, and all children under 16, to wear a GPS tracking device and to surrender her passport.
SCHOOL STATEMENT
Before this school year, McCallum worked at Center Elementary School in Abington.
Peter Schafer, superintendent of Abington schools, released a brief statement Friday afternoon:
"Mrs. McCallum is no longer a teacher in the Abington Public Schools. We are aware and deeply concerned about the disturbing allegations against her, and we will be fully cooperating with the authorities. The results of the inquiry will answer all of the needed questions. Our primary concern is the well being of our students."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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