Mom's complaint leads to charge against Lanier teacher accused of having sex with different boy

A concerned mother’s complaint about her son's prolonged, late-night phone conversation with his teacher eventually led to the charges against a Sidney Lanier teacher accused of having sex with a different student.

School personnel and a school resource officer interviewed a Lanier student after his mother came to the school and reported her son was talking to teacher Natasha Patronsky on the phone between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. for 25 to 30 minutes, Montgomery Police Department investigator J. Bolton told District Court Judge Tiffany McCord during a preliminary hearing Friday. 

That student denied having a sexual relationship with Patronsky, 24, but told officers to question another student. When the second student was interviewed, Bolton said the student said he had sexual intercourse with Patronsky in her classroom Nov. 8.

Standing before the judge, Patronsky looked toward a relative behind her and rolled her eyes when Bolton described the graphic details of what the student said took place.

More:Lanier teacher allegedly had sex with student at school, police report shows

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After missing the bus, the alleged victim received a text message from Patronsky to come to her classroom, he told investigators, according to Bolton’s testimony. Video footage from the Lanier hallway corroborated the student's timeline of when he entered and left Patronsky's classroom, Bolton said.

A review of the student's phone did not show a text from Patronsky telling him to come to her room, but the phone did contain text messages between Patronsky and the student in which they had a conversation about statutory rape the day before, Bolton said. 

Patronsky was hired as a Spanish teacher at Lanier in August. An investigation into the allegation officially began on Nov. 16. Patronsky resigned from her position at the school on Nov. 20. 

She was arrested on Nov. 28 after turning herself in to Montgomery police. She is charged with a school employee engaging in a sexual act with a student under the age of 19. The charge is a class B felony, punishable by no less than two years and no more than 20 years in prison.

Because the first student denied having a sexual relationship with Patronsky, and the alleged late-night conversations did not meet the threshold of criminality, charges are not being filed relating to him, Bolton said.

Judge McCord ruled during the preliminary hearing to move the case forward, with Patronsky’s case set to go before a grand jury. 

Call Montgomery Advertiser reporter Krista Johnson at 334-303-9019 or email her at kjohnson3@gannett.com. You can also follow her on Twitter here.