A 37-year-old high school teacher in Florida is behind bars this week after authorities uncovered evidence of a sexual relationship between her and a 17-year-old student. Heather Mashburn-Smith, an educator at Port Charlotte High School, was taken into custody Wednesday following a tip that led investigators to the campus.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, the allegations involve at least two separate sexual encounters that took place on school grounds within the last month.
While the legal age of consent in Florida is 18, the charges against Mashburn-Smith were elevated to a first-degree felony because of her professional position of authority over the minor…