Overview
- Authorities in Charlotte County charged Heather Mashburn-Smith, 37, with unlawful sexual activity with minors following an investigation into a 17-year-old student.
- Investigators say she gave a full, post-Miranda confession admitting sex with the student and acknowledging she knew he was a teenager.
- The arrest affidavit describes Snapchat chats that turned flirtatious after the student called her “pretty,” leading to contact outside class.
- Court papers state the pair kissed and had sex at least twice in her Port Charlotte High classroom, and she told him she would leave her husband when he turned 18.
- The school district placed her on administrative leave, and the sheriff condemned the conduct as harmful, with Florida law setting the age of consent at 18 and the charge carrying up to 30 years in prison.