POSTED 10:58 PM, DECEMBER 5, 2015, BY JOHN A. MORENO, UPDATED AT 01:31AM, DECEMBER 6, 2015
A former Murrieta Valley High School teacher was arrested Friday on suspicion of having a sexual relationship with an underage male student, authorities said.
Shannon Fosgett, 44, was booked at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta on Dec. 4, 2015. (Credit: Murrieta Police Department)
Shannon Fosgett, 44, turned herself in to Murrieta Police Department detectives and was booked on multiple charges, all felonies: one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor under 18 and two counts of oral copulation with a minor, according to a news release.
Fosgett had resigned her teaching position on Wednesday, the Police Department said, citing the Murrieta Valley Unified School District.
The investigation began earlier this week when police were informed of an alleged inappropriate relationship involving a Murrieta Valley High teacher and a male student, the news release said. The case was subsequently turned over to the Police Department’s detective bureau.
Investigators interviewed the boy, who told them that one of his instructors “began showing interest in him over a year ago,” which began with after-hours texting, according to authorities.
“As the relationship grew, the minor and the teacher engaged in oral sex and ultimately sexual intercourse,” the police statement said. On Monday, other students notified school administrators of the alleged relationship, prompting a report to authorities.
The teacher was then identified as Fosgett, a Murrieta resident, the Police Department said.
Before she resigned her position as an earth sciences teacher, Fosgett had been placed on indefinite administrative leave by the school district. A statement was posted on Murrieta Valley High’s website regarding the matter.
A former student described Fosgett as a “really good teacher” who helped her get her grades back up last year when she was struggling academically.
She added she was “shocked” by the allegations.
“I heard rumors, but I didn’t really want to believe them … I still kind of don’t want to believe them, because it seems really out of character for her,” said the student, who declined to be identified publicly.
Fosgett’s bail was set at $40,000. She was released from custody on Friday, Riverside County sheriff’s online records showed, and was scheduled to appear in court Jan. 29.
Anyone with information about the case has been asked to call Murrieta police at 951-696-3615.
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