A former South Carolina elementary school teacher who was named “Teacher of the Year” has been accused of stalking an 11-year-old student by sending her numerous love letters and joining her church, police said.
According to an arrest warrant, Dylan Robert Dukes, a teacher at Starr Elementary School, allegedly wrote the girl more than 60 love letters, gave her cards and gifts and subjected her to “unwanted embraces” that made her feel uncomfortable. Obtained by WIS-TV.
Authorities said before summer vacation this year, Dukes gave the girl a personalized box containing a letter for each day of the week to read while school was out.
Then, after learning she would no longer be attending his school, he recently began attending her church.
Detectives were notified about the suspicious behavior and searched Dukes’ classroom, where they found numerous photos of the boy in his desk.
They pointed out that the photo was not sexual in nature.
Dukes was charged with stalking and booked into the Anderson County Jail.
“We are fortunate that this was the only charge,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Detectives were able to stop the harassment and stalking before it escalated into physical violence, which the boy feared.”
He appeared in court virtually Thursday wearing a Starr Elementary School T-shirt.
The victim’s parents spoke at the hearing, saying they feared for their daughter’s safety and were concerned about Dukes having contact with their family, WIS-TV reported.
“My child has been given numerous love letters from grown men,” the girl’s distraught mother told the court.
“He was also attending my children’s events outside of school,” she continued. “He started attending our church. I now realize that being closer to my children has made him even more obsessive.”
Dukes’ lawyers pointed out that their client was named 2023 Teacher of the Year and asked that he be released on bail because he is not a flight risk.
But the girl’s father protested against her release.
“Given that Mr. Dukes has had unlimited access to our family over the years and we don’t know what his obsessions are, we cannot be certain that he will not pose a danger to our family,” his father said.
The judge set Dukes’ bond at $50,000 and said he will have no contact with the victim or her family if released.
He had not yet been released as of Thursday night, according to jail records.
