Assistant Principal Arrested for Allegedly Having Sex with Student

An assistant principal in Gaston County, North Carolina, has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a student for months.

Lisa Rothwell, 34, who works at Stuart Cramer High School, was suspended with pay by Gaston County Schools on Friday for alleged “sexual intercourse and oral sex with a student on six occasions between April 1 and July 31, 2019,” the arrest warrant said.

Following her arrest on Friday, Rothwell appeared before a magistrate who told her he was holding her on a $1 million bond due to the seriousness of the charges against her.

“He said if she could not make that bond, which could cost her up to $150,000 if she went through a bail bondsman, that she would appear before a District Court judge on Monday and could then seek a reduction in her bond,” according to the Gaston Gazette.

Reports said the accuser was a student at the time of the alleged encounters, and that Rothwell began tutoring the individual last year.

Police said they opened their investigation when rumors about Rothwell began to spread among students at the school.

Gaston County jail records show that Rothwell faces six felony counts of sex offenses with a student.

“Rothwell has been at Stuart W. Cramer High School since 2014,” the Gaston Gazette reported. “She began working there as an exceptional children teacher and in the occupational course of study. After earning a master’s degree from Appalachian State University, she began working as an assistant principal at Stuart W. Cramer in 2015.”

Reports said she does not currently have an attorney listed, but is due to appear in court on Monday.

News outlets tried to reach Gaston County Schools early on Monday morning but so far have received no reply, according to the New York Post. 

Rothwell earned about $66,000 annually as an assistant principal for the high school.