Former North Carolina High School Counselor Charged with Felony

A former high school counselor from North Carolina is facing serious legal trouble after allegedly sending sexual content to several teenagers, as reported by local police.

Leslie Bryant, 37, was in court on July 2, right after being charged with two counts of indecent assault on a student, along with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to a statement from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

I mean, it’s pretty straightforward. North Carolina law clearly states that it’s a felony for school employees to engage in sexual activities with students.

The law emphasizes that molesting a student is not taken lightly. It specifies that if any school-related personnel, who is at least four years older than a student, commits an indecent act while the student is still enrolled, it’s a Class G felony—unless they face a more serious charge under different provisions. Penalties for this can involve anywhere from 10 to 31 months of prison time.

Bryant was released on a secured bond of $50,000. Following the allegations, a judge has mandated that she have no contact with the two alleged victims and limited her access to Orange County school facilities.

Interestingly, she had already resigned from her counselor position at Orange High School on June 12, right after being placed on paid suspension, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the school district.

Bryant appears to no longer be listed on the staff directory for Orange High School or on the Orange County Schools website.

According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation began after a school administrator flagged potential misconduct involving Bryant and multiple students.

A police report collected by the Raleigh News & Observer detailed that a teacher notified school administrators about a possible inappropriate relationship when a student revealed that Bryant was sending nude photos to another student.

Allegedly, the assistant principal from Orange High School made a report about these allegations to school resource officers on June 4. Reports suggest that Bryant utilized the Snapchat app to share nude images and videos featuring sexual content.

Court documents indicated that Bryant had solicited three teenagers for nude photos. On at least one occasion, she managed to convince an underage student to send a nude photo.

According to additional details from the investigation, it was uncovered that Leslie had shared illegal material with at least three other young men aside from the victims involved in this case. It appears that at least one of them was a young adult, which raises further questions.

The circumstances surrounding these events reveal that Bryant exploited her position at the school to form inappropriate relationships with both current and former students.

Prosecutors mentioned that these alleged incidents reportedly began in November 2025 and continued until April 2026, with the teenagers involved being 17 and 18 years old at the time.

The North Carolina School Boards Association has previously issued guidelines aimed at educating school employees about avoiding such inappropriate relationships.

These guidelines note that North Carolina law succinctly states that it is a felony for a school employee to engage in sexual activity with a student, making it clear that consent is not a valid defense.

Moreover, it asserts that any misconduct or harassment of a sexual nature breaches the North Carolina Educator Code of Ethics.

Federal law also prohibits school systems from aiding any staff member convicted of sexual misconduct with minors from re-entering the workforce.

Reports indicate that Bryant is married and has two children. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with pertinent information is encouraged to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Bryant is slated to appear in court again on July 20.

No immediate comments have been received from either the Orange County Sheriff’s Office or Orange County Schools regarding this matter.