By: Amber Stegall
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Charges have been filed against a Coronado High School teacher after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a student. The teacher, 40-year-old Scott Hall is currently in the Lubbock County Detention Center. A $100,000 bond has been set, however, he is being held for U.S. Marshals.
Sources say there may be other victims who have graduated. Hall is currently on administrative leave.
This is his second year of teaching art at Coronado High School. He graduated from Texas Tech in May 2017.
Hall has his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Studies (Art Education) from Texas Tech University and a Dirk West style Red Raider cartoonist, whose work is periodically featured in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
Lubbock ISD has sent an official statement on the issue saying:
On the morning of Monday, Oct. 1, Lubbock ISD was made aware of an investigation, which began Sunday by the Lubbock Police Department of an alleged inappropriate relationship between a high school teacher and a minor. Lubbock ISD takes such allegations very seriously and immediately placed the employee on administrative leave. Lubbock ISD police assisted in the ongoing investigation and an arrest was made on Monday afternoon. Charges were filed this morning against Scott Hall, an art teacher at Coronado High School, and the district will notify the State Board of Educator Certification today.
- Nancy Sharp, executive director of communications and community relations
According to police records, Hall took the juvenile on at least two trips. One to Palo Duro Canyon and another to a house in New Mexico.
GRAPHIC WARNING - The following information may not be suitable for some readers.
The relationship, according to the documents, began in April or May of 2018. The documents also say the juvenile’s mother had given Hall and his wife a key to their apartment, they were good friends of the family. Hall would ask permission to take the juvenile to church with him and his wife. He also took her to Palo Duro Canyon and that is when Hall and the juvenile discussed their relationship going further. The juvenile told police the sexual nature of the relationship began the day before school started.
When the mother of the juvenile found out about the relationship, she confronted Hall about the sexual nature of the relationship.
Hall responded, “I let my care for her cross the line. It was a mistake to hurt the two of you... I never wanted to hurt anybody. It was misguided affection... I will do anything you ask to keep this from being a legal or professional situation. I will truly do anything at all. I am not a predator, and this has never happened nor will it again. I promise with everything I am.”
The mother responded to have no further contact again.
He also texted, “I will not cross your boundaries in any way.”
The next day, Hall texted the juvenile’s mother again saying, “I want... to communicate my remorse and sadness. I feel like an awful human being, and I cannot express how sorry I am. I am doing some major soul searching and correcting myself... I am so very ashamed and sorry.”
But the investigation showed Hall emailed the juvenile," I am sorry I lost you last night. I do hope you rested well and that you felt better than hating our situation like in your last email. Still I understand... I love you my dear." He sent another email saying," I just focus on the things that keep me and our dream alive. Seeing you... dreaming of the next time, and reminiscing about the last time. These things make me sad too but they help me cope until we are just together. Always, I (sic) live you. Good night my dear.
He wrote a third email saying, “You’re so amazing my dear. One of these days, we are going to spend hours watching movies and rolling around in bed. I love you.”
When police questioned Hall, he stated he deleted most of the emails because he did not want his wife to find out. He also told police "all of this is his fault and he knows he can’t have any relationship with the juvenile ever again. He also said he stopped speaking to her three or four weeks ago.
Hall told police he fell in love with the juvenile and he knew his feelings were inappropriate and was not letting himself go there anymore.
KCBD NewsChannel 11 will continue to monitor this story and update any information that is made available.
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