Teacher resigns after being accused of taping student to desk

A Rowan County elementary school teacher has resigned after being accused of taping a 9-year-old student to a desk.

The teacher, who has not been identified, has not been charged with a crime. The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said the district attorney’s office determined that investigators don’t have probable cause to charge the teacher.

The incident was reported on Friday at 9 p.m., when Lynda Santamaria told a deputy that her son had been taped to his desk at Knollwood Elementary School earlier that day. Santamaria said the same thing happened several days before and that she was scheduled to talk to Knollwood’s principal.

A detective interviewed adults and children about the incident and also reviewed “a short video segment that shows what appears to be masking tape attached to one side of the victim’s desk,” according to a news release from the Sheriff’s office. But the release says investigators didn’t find evidence that the tape was attached to the child’s body.

Investigators say the case remains open. The teacher resigned on Monday.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Teacher resigns after being accused of taping student to desk."