The daughter of an Oklahoma mayor and the wife of the town's police chief was sentenced Wednesday for soliciting sexual favors from a 15-year-old student she taught.
Emma Delaney Hancock, 28, will spend the next four years in prison on two counts of using technology to solicit sex from a minor, KFOR reported.
She is married to Wellston Police Chief Alfred Hancock, they have two children, and she is the daughter of Wellston Mayor Paul Witna.
Hancock, a former Wellston substitute teacher, struck up a conversation with the then 15-year-old boy on October 6, 2022, after the student entered his number into his cell phone, prefaced by saying he needed help with an assignment. .
Hancock sent the minor a friend request later that night, and the two began talking over several weeks.
When the unidentified boy sent Hancock a shirtless photo through a social media app, the messages quickly turned vile.
“Are you going to send half-naked photos now?'' Hancock replied.
The boy answered, “I don't know, do I?”
“Are you trying to make me lose my job?'' Hancock reportedly said.
The two then shared naked photos and sexually explicit videos, the student told investigators in November 2022, KOKH reported. He cited the arrest affidavit.
The student claims she met Hancock twice in the classroom where the then-26-year-old was taking classes, and that they made out in a closet during the teen's lunch, and at least once physically confronted the teacher. He claimed that he had been touched.
The girl also claimed that Hancock would allow her to be attacked from a vape pen.
Rumors about the illicit relationship reportedly began to spread after the boy told one of his friends who went to confront Hancock.
Hancock initially denied any wrongdoing, but is said to have later admitted to inappropriate behavior, saying, “I don't intend to get caught, so it doesn't mean anything.''
Authorities obtained a search warrant for Hancock's Snapchat account and discovered a video of the incident in the classroom.
She turned herself in on April 13, 2023.
During the trial, Ms. Hancock's husband, Alfred Hancock, testified in favor of his wife, saying he believed she had done nothing wrong.
“She looked me in the eye and said, 'Nothing.' [on her phone]. I mean, we believe there's nothing there,'' the police chief reportedly told jurors in October. Go to NonDoc.com. “She's my wife. I believe in her. I'm on her side.”
Ms Hancock, 28, also known as Delaney, denied any relationship with the boy and insisted she never sent or received any sexual messages from him.
She was found guilty on two of the five charges.
She was acquitted of two counts of “lewd or obscene conduct towards a child under 16” and one count of “soliciting sexual activity or communication with a minor using technology.” .
Lincoln County District Court Judge Sheila Kirk on Wednesday sentenced Hancock to six years in prison and six years in prison on each charge.
Convicted felons will only serve four years in prison if they comply with the sentence. KOKH reported.
In addition to the prison sentence, Hancock must register as a sex offender.
The boy reportedly turned to online education because he was uncomfortable with his relationship with Hancock and the subsequent trial.
“It's just too much,” one of the boy's family members told KFOR. “So he's going to go back online. I mean, his entire high school years were online. So we missed all of that: sporting events, prom, walking on stage.”
