Female teacher accused of sexting student pleads guilty — plea deal comes with lifelong consequences



A former high school teacher in Kentucky accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a student pleaded guilty to sex abuse charges. The female teacher agreed to never teach again and to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life.

Rachel Clement, 29, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse with a position of authority or special trust and one count of tampering with physical evidence, according to the Hendersonian.

'We believe the evidence fit those charges.'

As part of the plea deal Henderson Circuit Judge Karen Wilson accepted, Clement is permanently barred from teaching in the United States and must register as a sex offender for life, the Hendersonian reported.

Under the agreement, Clement must have no contact with her victim or his family, and she is banned from school district property.

WFIE-TV reported that Clement could be sentenced to three years in prison for each sexual abuse count and five years on the tampering charge.

Henderson County Commonwealth's Attorney Herb McKee Jr. is recommending that the sentences run concurrently but noted that the judge can impose consecutive sentences, according to the Hendersonian.

Clement is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 4, 2027.

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Five Buck Photos via iStock/Getty Images Plus

McKee said he met with the victim and his family, Henderson police detectives, and Henderson County Schools officials — all of whom agreed with the recommendations.

"We believe the evidence fit those charges," McKee said.

Before the plea deal was accepted, Clement was scheduled to stand trial on Friday.

The Hendersonian reported that Clement initially was charged with two counts of unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited actions, first-degree sexual abuse, and tampering with physical evidence.

Clement initially pleaded not guilty during her arraignment.

Clement, who had been a teacher at Henderson County High School, was arrested in June.

The Hendersonian previously reported that McKee indicated that the sexual abuse charge involves the sexual messaging, and the tampering with physical evidence charge involves deleting or obscuring evidence.

The New York Post reported that Clement was immediately removed from the school after the accusations surfaced.

In June, school officials said Clement's contract would not be renewed, according to WFIE.

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Researcher charged with poisoning coworker after he's caught on hidden camera tampering with water bottle — and gets off easy



A California researcher pleaded no contest to one felony count of poisoning his coworker, which allegedly made the female victim gravely ill. However, the defendant was granted what a judge called an "extremely generous" plea deal despite hidden-camera video of him tampering with his colleague's water bottle.

Rong Yuan began working at Berkeley Engineering and Research in January 2017, and she worked alongside David Xu, a fellow UC Berkeley alumnus.

'I almost died.'

Yuan told the San Francisco Standard that her first workplace encounter with Xu was tense, saying that Xu told her she wasn't allowed to use the company's material characterization lab.

Yuan said she told Xu, "I know how to use all these tools. I've even repaired them."

Yuan recalled, "I just decided I will never overlap with him. I'll just simply do my work, and he can do whatever he wants."

Just weeks after the encounter, Yuan said she began experiencing mysterious health issues, including vomiting, dry heaving, and hair loss.

Yuan sought medical treatment after her symptoms became increasingly severe.

Yuan remembered that she suddenly became gravely ill after drinking from her water bottle in July 2017.

"I began to feel like I was dying," Yuan stated.

The Standard reported that by late 2018, she had been to the hospital repeatedly, her health was deteriorating, and she was vomiting all the time, often having to miss work.

Yuan said her parents, who are from China, feared her illness could be fatal, so they traveled to visit her.

On Nov. 27, 2018, Yuan sent an email stating that she was vomiting again and wouldn't be able to work at the office.

Xu reportedly replied, "You should work from home until you feel better. No reason to rush in."

Xu allegedly added that Yuan might be sick because he believed the workplace is "moldy."

In January 2019, Yuan was working at the office when she drank from her water bottle at her desk and suddenly felt sick again to the point that she thought to herself: "I'm going to die."

Later that day, Yuan's mother drank from the same water bottle and noticed an unusual sour taste.

Fearing someone was tampering with her water bottle, Yuan on Feb. 11, 2019, set up a secret camera on the wall next to her desk and focused on her water bottle.

At 11:04 a.m., Xu appeared at her desk, and the camera caught a close-up of his face and his arm reaching toward where her bottle was placed, the Standard reported.

A second video from March 4 seemingly shows Xu pouring a substance from a small white container into Yuan's bottle; Xu is seen exiting the frame of the video but appears back in frame, rotates Yuan's water bottle, and moves away.

"My blood was frozen," Yuan said of first seeing the alarming video. "I almost died. I experienced death so, so close so many times. I cannot let him go."

That day, Yuan presented the Berkeley Police Department with the videos and the water bottle.

The Standard reported that samples taken from Yuan's bottle tested positive for cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, at "levels up to 3.5 million times the federal limit for drinking water."

A report from the Berkeley Police Department accused Xu of putting cadmium in Yuan's "food and water on multiple occasions."

According to Alameda County Superior Court records reviewed by San Francisco Gate, Xu was arrested in March 2019 and charged with premeditated attempted murder and two felony counts of poisoning.

Then-Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price offered Xu a plea deal of one count of poisoning and one year of probation.

The Standard reported that the deal "shocked" even the judge, who remarked at Xu’s 2024 sentencing hearing that it was "extremely generous, considering everything in this case" and doubled his probation to two years.

Despite facing a punishment of up to life in state prison, Xu served just one day in jail and two years of probation, according to the Standard.

Xu completed his two-year probation in March 2026 and filed a petition for dismissal in July 2026.

The Daily Californian reported that Alameda County Superior Court Judge Pelayo Llamas granted Xu's petition to dismiss his felony poisoning conviction on Monday, despite objections from Yuan and Assistant District Attorney Priscilla Vuong.

The dismissal allows Xu to avoid disclosing the poisoning conviction to private employers.

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Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson released a statement that read:

In 2019, David Xu was charged with attempted premeditated murder and poisoning. In 2023, the case resolved to a felony poisoning charge, 2 years of probation, and no additional jail time. After completing probation, the defendant petitioned the court to dismiss the case. As a result, we joined the victims to oppose the motion pursuant to Penal Code section 1203.4. The court granted the motion over objections. We hope the survivors are able to continue healing, both emotionally and physically, from this shocking event.

Yuan described the decision as "expected" but noted that she was "still disappointed."

Yuan said she received $7,058 in restitution but added that her out-of-pocket medical expenses after insurance were more than $65,000.

Xu's attorney, Charles Huang, on Tuesday told the Daily Californian that he was not at liberty to provide a comment on the case and didn't immediately respond to the Daily Californian's emailed request for comment.

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Former Miss North Dakota pleads guilty to day care fraud in Minnesota



A former beauty pageant winner, worship pastor, and Christian performer pleaded guilty to committing day care fraud at three businesses in Minnesota.

Jill Mertens, 43, admitted to fraudulently receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program, which was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.

'We had no idea she was committing any fraud. We didn't have any idea the day care was in any financial hardship.'

In 2016, Mertens registered three day cares she owned: The Tree of Life Academy in Ramsey and the Creative Stars Academy in Kasson and Rochester.

State data showed that the centers received numerous complaints and violations in recent years.

She received about $425,000 from the program to pay for 23 teachers who did not work at the day cares. She also inflated hours for the employees that she did have.

Mertens won Miss North Dakota and competed in the Miss America pageant in 2001. She went on to become a worship pastor and recorded a contemporary/Christian/gospel album that was released in 2011.

KARE-TV spoke to one couple that said they had prepaid for day care services at one of Mertens' centers and were cheated when she declared bankruptcy and sold off the centers.

"We had no idea she was committing any fraud. We didn't have any idea the day care was in any financial hardship," Joe McInerney of Mantorville said. "Hopefully, she has some time to think about what she did and pay back her debts."

Mertens agreed to pay back the funds she stole in her plea deal and was released on supervised release.

RELATED: Woman pleads guilty to day care fraud — and also ran Feeding Our Future scam and autism center

A KARE reporter noted in the news video that the plea deal included immunity for Mertens from any other federal investigation that may or may not be going on.

Mertens faces about two years in prison, according to the sentencing guidelines.

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Bill Gates 'voluntarily' explains his Epstein ties to Congress



Bill Gates knew Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted sex offender. He met with him anyway — for years. On Wednesday, he had to explain that to Congress.

The 70-year-old Microsoft co-founder appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for a closed-door, transcribed interview. The session lasted nearly six hours.

'I guess if you're a big deal, you can do more than the rest of us.'

On his way in, Gates told reporters he was "glad to be here voluntarily." He retained Jake Greenberg, who until December was the Oversight Committee's chief investigations counsel. Mid-session, Greenberg reportedly said Gates would not answer questions about his affairs unless directly tied to Epstein.

The paper trail complicates the "voluntary" part.

In February, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) formally asked Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to subpoena Gates and compel him to testify under oath.

Comer sent Gates a formal written request in March stating the committee believed he had "information that will assist in its investigation." Before the session on Wednesday, Comer told reporters, "No one's accusing Bill Gates of any wrongdoing."

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Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

In his prepared opening statement, Gates expressed regret but denied having extensive knowledge about Epstein's criminal behavior.

"I recall being aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed,” he admitted. “I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have."

He also denied ever visiting Epstein's island, ranch, or Florida home.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor and served jail time as a registered sex offender. Gates claimed he began meeting with Epstein in 2011 over a pitch to unlock billions in global health donations.

By December 2014, Gates said he had cut off contact, concluding Epstein "would never deliver on his promises."

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said she directly asked Gates why he continued to associate with a registered sex offender. Gates told her that "getting billions of dollars for global health was worth it,” she said.

After Gates allegedly cut ties in 2014, a departing employee engaged Epstein to negotiate the "separation" — Epstein, Gates claimed, used that channel to learn of his infidelities and pressure him to re-engage.

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Kent NISHIMURA/AFP/Getty Images

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called the questioning "intense" but said Gates was "well coached" and that he didn't expect much new information to surface.

Burchett also broke with GOP leadership over the closed-door format: "I'm big about transparency. ... Let it be wide open." He added, "I guess if you're a big deal, you can do more than the rest of us."

Gates closed his opening statement to Congress with a conditional apology: "If the time I spent with Epstein lent him any credibility, I am deeply sorry."

He left without answering a single question from reporters.

Democrats have repeatedly called for Trump to testify — a push Republicans have so far blocked. But the White House may not be able to stay out of it much longer.

Per Stansbury, Republicans have agreed to call acting Attorney General Todd Blanche — Trump's former lawyer — to testify about White House Epstein strategy sessions.

Comer also announced plans for a transcribed interview with Alan Dershowitz, who negotiated Epstein's 2008 plea deal.

A full transcript is expected in the coming days.

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Boelter Pleads Guilty In Deal To Avoid Death Penalty For Minnesota Murders

'Hunted and attacked in their own homes.'

Fake Florida nurse who treated nearly 4,500 patients gets sweetheart deal; judge reportedly asserts she 'excelled at her job'



A Florida woman who fraudulently posed as a nurse and treated nearly 4,500 patients without a license escaped going to jail, according to multiple reports.

Autumn Bardisa of Palm Coast was arrested by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in August 2025 for posing as a nurse and treating over 4,400 patients without a license.

'This is one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we've ever investigated.'

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the 29-year-old pleaded no contest last week to unlicensed practice of health care and fraudulent use of identification.

A seven-month investigation originally led to 14 charges against Bardisa: seven counts of unlicensed health care practice and seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification.

However, Bardisa will not face jail time.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that Bardisa was sentenced to 60 months of probation, which can be terminated after 30 months.

Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols withheld adjudication, which means Bardisa will not be a convicted felon unless she violates the terms of her probation, according to the News-Journal.

Bardisa also was sentenced to 50 hours of community service.

WTVJ-TV reported that Bardisa is prohibited from practicing medicine during her probation.

Bardisa is required to send an apology letter to the nurse whose license number she stole.

"Incredibly poor judgment. Her actions were wrong," Judge Nichols said, according to the News-Journal. "She will pay for those actions severely."

The victim of the identity theft said during the hearing that Bardisa "chose to put countless lives on the line."

However, the judge interrupted the victim and ordered her to "stop the personal attacks."

Judge Nichols proclaimed, "There is absolutely zero evidence that countless lives were on the line. Zero evidence. As a matter of fact, the information that has been presented is that she was excellent in her job, and she excelled at her job."

The News-Journal reported that Josh Davis, Bardisa's defense attorney, said he was able to convince prosecutors to waive the one-year minimum mandatory sentence for practicing nursing without a license.

Davis argued, "The reason that we are in the courthouse is because she was really good at her job, and she makes people jealous."

"Some co-workers go back and do the digging, and that’s the reason we are here," Davis claimed.

According to the News-Journal, Bardisa maintained that there is "a lot more to the story" but did not offer further specifics.

"I'm just glad it ended up the way it did,” Bardisa stated. "And my daughter wasn’t harmed at all or didn’t have to face any of the backlash."

Bardisa added, "I think a mistake shouldn’t ruin someone's life."

RELATED: Florida nurse learns fate after husband caught her having sex with stepson; boy's mom blasts 'incestuous pedophile'

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said in an August statement that Bardisa was hired July 3, 2023, as an advanced nurse tech at AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway and was working under the supervision of a registered nurse.

Investigators said Bardisa applied for the position as an "education first" registered nurse — a designation for those who have completed their nursing program but have not yet passed the national licensing exam.

Police stated, "During the hiring process, Bardisa then informed the hospital that she had passed the exam and provided a license number matching an individual with her first name, Autumn, but with a different last name."

Bardisa initially brushed off the discrepancy by claiming a recent name change due to marriage.

However, investigators said Bardisa never provided a marriage license to AdventHealth.

In January 2025, Bardisa was offered a promotion.

During the promotion process, a fellow employee checked the status of Bardisa's license and discovered that she had an expired certified nursing assistant license, which was then reported to health care administrators, according to police.

Authorities said AdventHealth administrators launched an internal investigation, which revealed Bardisa never verified her identity or her supposed name change.

On January 22, 2025, AdventHealth terminated Bardisa after she failed to confirm her identity, the press release said.

Following her firing, AdventHealth alerted the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.

FCSO detectives, as well as investigators with the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "reviewed documents and conducted interviews with AdventHealth employees" and determined that Bardisa stole the identity of another nurse, police said.

"The investigation determined that Bardisa shared a first name with the other nurse, who was employed by AdventHealth, but at a different hospital, and had attended school with her," the sheriff's office declared.

Police said Bardisa participated in medical services administered to 4,486 people from June 2024 to January 2025, despite never possessing the required nursing license.

Bardisa was arrested on August 5, 2025.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly proclaimed, "This is one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we've ever investigated."

"This woman potentially put thousands of lives at risk by pretending to be someone she was not and violating the trust of patients, their families, AdventHealth, and an entire medical community," Staly said.

Sheriff Staly added, "Nursing is a noble profession about caring for those in need, but there is a right way and wrong way to go about it, and she chose the wrong way by using a real nurse's license."

"Because she chose to circumvent the rules, she ruined her career, and she potentially endangered patients," Staly said.

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Trans-identifying teen agrees to plead guilty to plotting Valentine's Day massacre at high school



A trans-identifying teen accused of plotting a Valentine's Day massacre at an Indiana high school reportedly has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.

Trinity Shockley — an 18-year-old female who identifies as a male — was arrested Feb. 12 after someone notified an FBI tip line that an acquaintance was planning a school shooting, had access to an AR-15 rifle, and had just ordered a bulletproof vest.

'Everyone lives to die. I am a loser.'

The FBI — which ultimately alerted the Mooresville Metropolitan Police Department about the possible shooting plot — investigated Shockley's accounts on the Discord instant messaging app and Snapchat and found multiple correspondences in which the suspect appeared to confirm she had it in mind to shoot up her school, according to the probable cause affidavit.

In one conversation on Discord, Shockley allegedly said she had been planning a "Parkland part two" for at least a year, referring to the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The affidavit indicated that Shockley confided in her school counselor on Feb. 11 that she was sexually infatuated with Nikolas Cruz — the convicted shooter who murdered 17 people at Parkland — wanted to have his children, and had written to him several times since his incarceration.

During a search of Shockley's family home, police indicated they found what appeared to be a framed photo of Dylann Roof — the white identitarian responsible for the 2015 mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina — in the student's bedroom along with other images of mass shooters, including Cruz.

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Photo by SAMANTHA LAUREY/AFP via Getty Images

In addition to locating a soft armor vest and ammunition in the house, police found multiple notebooks allegedly belonging to the teen containing damning entries. In one notebook, Shockley allegedly wrote on Dec. 16, 2024, "I am aslo [sic] a transgender male. I have a lot of homicidal thoughts. In all honesty, I want to be just like Elliot Rodger. He is my main influencer along with Nikolas Cruz."

Rodger is a mass murderer who killed six and injured 14 in a 2014 attack near the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Shockley allegedly wrote in an entry dated Jan. 9, "All of these minorities are useless. I bleieve [sic] others dont desreve [sic] to live. Everyone lives to die. I am a loser."

The agreement filed Monday and confirmed by chief deputy prosecutor Cassie Mellady would have Shockley plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder — a level 2 felony — and the state drop the other two charges of terroristic intimidation, the Indiana Star reported.

Although a conviction on the single count could net Shockley a sentence of 10 to 30 years behind bars, her attorney reportedly has requested that she serve no more than 12.5 years in prison and fewer than five years on probation.

In addition to having to regularly meet with mental health professionals, Shockley's probation per the proposed terms of the plea deal would be conditional on her prohibition from visiting all Morgan County school properties and searching for any material related to school shootings.

Dakota VanLeeuwen, the Morgan County judge overseeing the case, reportedly has taken the plea agreement under advisement and will issue a ruling on the matter next month.

Mellady told WIBC-FM that Shockley's trans-identification has no bearing on the case.

There has been a rash of trans-identifying mass shooters and would-be mass shooters in recent years.

For instance:

  • a trans-identifying man shot up a Catholic church full of children in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, killing two children and injuring 30;
  • a male-identifying woman planned to shoot up an elementary school and a high school in Maryland in April 2024 but was stopped in time by police — then later convicted;
  • a trans-identifying teen stalked the halls of a school in Perry, Iowa, on Jan. 4, 2024, ultimately murdering a child and an adult and wounding several others; and
  • a trans-identifying woman stormed into a Presbyterian school in Nashville on March 27, 2023, murdering three children and three adults.

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How Plea Deals And Paperwork Errors Let SC Career Criminal Accused Of Killing Girl Back On The Streets

'I promise you, you will be sick and tired of my face and my voice until this gets fixed,' Steve Federico said in the hearing, 'I will fight until my last breath for my daughter.'

Alex Acosta Finally Reveals Why He Offered Plea Deal To Epstein

'This information will guide our next steps'

Teacher who left claw marks on underage student's back after sex romp gets sweetheart plea deal



A former Missouri math teacher who pleaded guilty to having sex with a student could potentially serve a very short prison sentence thanks to a sweetheart plea deal.

As Blaze News reported in January, 26-year-old Hailey Clifton-Carmack was arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student.

'They are going to do it behind my back, so I may as well let it happen.'

Clifton-Carmack — a former teacher at Laquey High School — allegedly had sex with a minor on multiple occasions and in different locations, including at the school.

WITI-TV reported that a witness told detectives with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office that the teacher and victim had "used students as lookouts while they had sex during school."

The victim allegedly sent photos of scratches on his back to a classmate. The student said the scratches were from Clifton-Carmack after they had sex in the classmate's driveway, according to the police report.

Blaze News reported last month that the victim's father — Mark Creighton — allegedly knew of the suspect's purported relationship with his son.

An anonymous witness reportedly told the father that she was going to report the child sex abuse, and the father allegedly responded: “They are going to do it behind my back, so I may as well let it happen.”

The father allegedly admitted to Pulaski County Detective Sgt. Bryan Gibbs that Clifton-Carmack had been to his house.

Prosecutors said Creighton “knew of the relationship of his minor child and the 26-year-old teacher, and instead of reporting the information, he continued to cover for them and allowed the relationship to continue” and “even allowed Hailey to come over to his residence and see the victim while he was present.”

The teen’s father was charged with child endangerment in January.

Clifton-Carmack allegedly denied the child sex crime accusations when questioned by detectives in December 2023. Clifton-Carmack fled to Texas, where she was arrested in January and was extradited back to Missouri.

Clifton-Carmack initially was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree statutory rape, having sexual contact with a student, fourth-degree child molestation, and seven counts of misdemeanor furnishing pornographic material to a minor.

However, the disgraced teacher made a deal and pleaded guilty to sexual contact with a student, which allows her to avoid more serious charges.

On Friday, Circuit Judge John Beger sentenced Clifton-Carmack to four years in prison. The divorced mother of two also was ordered to complete a sex offender treatment program.

The judge also said he would "receive a report on her progress and behavior in about 90 days, and if she does well, her sentence could be suspended, and she would be placed on probation," KJLU-TV reported.

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