A FORMER elementary school teacher charged with having a “prolonged” relationship with a 14-year-old boy has been released on bail.
Nicole Ballew Callaham, 33, was seen grinning as she was allowed to return home after she dropped a bombshell revelation in court.
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Callaham has been accused of grooming the teenager for over two years while he was at school.
The South Carolina native faces three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Callaham gave herself up to cops last Thursday after a thorough investigation into the ex-teacher which started back in May.
After spending less than a week locked up, the mom has now been granted bail.
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The decision was made when her lawyers revealed Callaham was up to nine weeks pregnant with a second child.
It is unclear who the dad is but her fiance did attend the hearing.
Alleged victim Grant Strickland has waived his anonymity in the case to hit out at the teacher.
Detectives believe the alleged misconduct from Callaham began in 2021 and continued for at least two years afterwards.
Within that time frame, Callaham is believed to have signed the Strickland out of school, transported him to practices and even served as a supervisor for after-school activities, the sheriff’s office said.
Cops described these patterns as “grooming behavior”.
Strickland came forward to police shortly after his 18th birthday after he spent years “processing the experience and trauma”, authorities said.
They added: “These repeated interactions led to a prolonged pattern of abuse, which was corroborated by search warrants and ongoing cooperation with the victim’s family.”
Strickland openly spoke in the courtroom before Callaham was released on bond.
He said: “I’m here to fight and I’m not going to back down. I think more awareness needs to be brought to things like this.”
A detective also read a letter written by the teen’s mother.
The angered mom claimed: “She saw our son’s innocence and that he was very easily manipulated.”
Callaham’s defense attorney said his client has cooperated with law enforcement and they “look forward to a day in court”.
The Greenville City Police Department has brought similar charges against Callaham which are separate from those in Anderson County.
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This is due to the boy attending school in Greenville during the alleged inappropriate conduct.
The charges include eight counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and four counts of unlawful conduct towards a child.
Court filings claim Callaham allegedly provided the teen with marijuana, nicotine and alcohol during the two years.
Callaham resigned from her job at Homeland Park Elementary School before the charges were officially filed.
It follows a teacher who is accused of raping her 15-year-old student 50 times moaning that she is being targeted because of her good looks.
Christina Formella, 30, claimed she is the victim of misogynistic “sexist scrutiny” and complained about being depicted as a “predator”.
Ms Formella denies the charges.
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