Published: November 27, 2009 11:53 pm      

Records: Teacher loses his license for alleged sexting

FRANKFORT — The Boyd County teacher accused of sending sexually charged text messages to a middle school student has lost his Kentucky teaching credentials forever, state records show.

Minutes of the Sept. 14 meeting of the Kentucky Educational Professional Standards Board, posted online, show that Creth Boyd, 28, agreed to surrender his teaching credentials and never to apply for teaching or administrative certification in Kentucky again.

Boyd is charged with sending the messages to a 14-year-old student at Boyd County Middle School.

His indictment, issued Nov. 13, alleges that Boyd sent at least one message to the girl with his cell phone in December in hopes of inducing her to have sex with him, said Boyd County Commonwealth’s Attorney David Justice.

Boyd had been a special education teacher and a coach at the middle school. He is no longer employed with the district and has not been teaching this school year, said middle school principal Bill Boblett. Boblett wouldn’t comment any further about what he said is a personnel matter.

Exchanging sexual e-mail messages, or “sexting,” is an increasingly common practice among teenagers. That raises the possibility that teens will be drawn in by such text messages from adults who prey on children, Justice said.

The felony he is charged with was enacted in 2006 “to address one of the latest tools of predators,” Justice said.

If he is convicted he could spend up to five years in prison. Justice wouldn’t comment on the specific case but said his policy precludes taking a plea bargain for crimes involving harm or threats of harm by adults against children. Such charges almost always go to trial unless the defendant pleads guilty without any conditions.

Boyd will appear in court Friday for arraignment.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.