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Teacher who had baby of boy she raped sentenced to 25 years

homesafetytechpros — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 08:57:38 +0000

Alissa McCommon raped a young boy and sexually pursued students after making friends with them playing video games, police said (Covington Police Department).

A Tennessee elementary school teacher who became pregnant with the baby of one victim and had the baby has learned her fate.

Alissa McCommon, 38, was sentenced on Friday to 25 years without parole for rape of a child, statutory rape, and sexual exploitation of minors, prosecutors said in a Friday press release. She was also sentenced to community supervision for life on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry as a Violent Sex Offender and was ordered to have no contact with the victims. She’ll also have her teaching license revoked.

“These convictions and sentence demonstrate the continuing commitment of law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office to aggressively investigate and prosecute child rape and sexual abuse cases in this District, especially where there are minor child victims,” said Mark E. Davidson, the District Attorney General for the 25th Judicial District in the press release. “We are glad that we were able to achieve finality, certainty, and closure for the victims and their families and the Tipton County community in this case.”

McCommon gave birth to the baby fathered by one of the victims, and the mother of that victim has custody of the child, Davidson told local ABC affiliate WATN.

Law&Crime reported a disturbing phone call in which she contacted the victim and said she would “raise this baby and love this baby, and I’ll do it by myself.”

She had been allowed bond in the child rape case but was rearrested for alleged coercion of a witness, aggravated stalking, and harassment.

The Covington Police Department said that McCommon used a “specific code word known to the juvenile as a code word McCommon would previously utilize to confirm that the juvenile was alone, often before sending nude photographs on SnapChat.”

In the phone call played in court, McCommon allegedly said, “I will never text you again” and “You will never hear from me again.”

“Just please don’t say anything. I’m under so much stress and I’m so scared all the time,” said the caller. “I tried to tell you. When it comes out looking like you, we don’t have to talk anymore. Just please God, tell me you’re not going to say anything. I’ll never speak to you again.”

While prosecutors in the Tipton County District Attorney’s office hailed that call as damning proof that McCommon was pregnant with the alleged victim’s child, the suspect’s attorney Jere Mason countered by questioning whether prosecutors had proved that his client’s voice was the one on the call.

“You have to go off… what is the actual proof? There was no witness that was presented as a victim or anyone like that to testify this was her,” Mason said, according to local NBC affiliate WMC.

Mason previously said that the defense is frustrated by the “witch hunt on social media” and asked the public to let the justice system “do its job.”

McCommon was first arrested on accusations that she raped a boy 12 years old or under at her home in 2021, but the allegations went beyond that.

Authorities alleged there could be multiple victims that the former teacher befriended by playing video games and interacting with them on social media — only to send inappropriate photos and seek out illicit sexual encounters.

McCommon taught at Crestview Elementary, according to local Fox affiliate WHBQ. She reportedly joined Charger Academy, teaching fourth grade, where she worked when she was suspended without pay on Aug. 24, 2023. Authorities said that the rape case landed on their radar on the day McCommon was suspended when a parent came forward with the allegations.

She ultimately resigned from her job, USA Today reported.

The defendant found herself in even more trouble while out on bond when she allegedly used an unknown phone number to communicate in code with a victim, suggesting he would “regret doing this.”

“The actions of McCommon are not only appalling, but CPD is also concerned about this apparent violation of her bond conditions,” Covington Police Chief Donna Turner previously said. “Due to the nature of the communications, we are concerned others may have been contacted.”

Matt Naham and Alberto Luperon contributed to this report.

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Mom of YouTube star settles with teenagers who sued her

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 01:09:31 +0000

Left: HOLLYWOOD, CA — NOVEMBER 21: Piper Rockelle participates in the 2nd Annual Toys For Tots Toy Drive held at The Industry Loft Space on November 21, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images). Right: Tiffany Smith (Piper Rockelle/YouTube). Inset: Former members of the Piper Squad (Getty Images).

A group of teenagers have settled a lawsuit with the mother of a popular YouTube star over allegations of sexual abuse and retaliation, according to an attorney representing them.

In January 2022, the teenagers sued Tiffany Smith, 41, the mother of online phenom Piper Rockelle, in a Los Angeles County court — alleging numerous counts of sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and that she tried to destroy their YouTube careers after they stopped working with her daughter.

Each of the 11 plaintiffs had previously been a member of the eponymous “Piper Squad,” a group dedicated to creating various short-form videos that appeared on Rockelle’s YouTube channel.

In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, plaintiffs attorney Matt Sarelson said the matter was settled and called it the “most complicated and high profile case of my career.”

The civil lawsuit alleged a parade of horribles allegedly uttered by Smith while she oversaw her daughter’s content creation machine.

One time, Smith allegedly commented on the size of a girl’s breasts. Another time, she allegedly referred to two boys as “horny bastards” while they held hands with two girls. And, in a particularly disturbing claim, allegedly explained that she was mailing her daughter’s dirty underwear to someone because “old men like to smell this stuff.”

The lawsuit also claims Smith boasted of the fine line between sexualized content and exploitation of children — allegedly claiming to be the “madam” or “pimp” of YouTube and even allegedly saying she “makes kiddie porn.”

“The allegations are very disturbing,” Sarelson told Law&Crime’s Angenette Levy last year. Five of the children are making some kind of a claim for actual battery but all 11 of the kids have similar allegations of abuse — comments. “It’s important to understand what these videos are about. These are kids who are scripted to have sort of fake boyfriends and fake girlfriends and to interact with these other kids. So, sure some of the allegations in this case include, you know, lots of inappropriate language and commentary about my clients’ genitalia, their sexual history or activity — which was which was essentially non-existent because these are young kids as young as nine.”

The lawsuit also alleges Smith showed one of the children a popular pornography website. In one instance, Rockelle’s mother allegedly discussed sex toys with a group of teenagers — and even asked one boy if his testicles had dropped.

One girl alleged Smith rubbed her exposed thighs and moved her hand toward her vagina, repeatedly spanked her, and used her finger to poke her in the backside over her clothing.

After the plaintiffs left the show, Smith, Rockelle, and Smith’s live-in boyfriend, Hunter Hill, who directed many of the videos, allegedly went after their own YouTube channels, according to the lawsuit.

“My youth was stripped away at a very young age because of Tiffany Rockelle,” one of the plaintiffs said in a statement provided to Law&Crime. “This lawsuit was never about money — it was to make sure she couldn’t do what she did to me to another kid.”

Each of the plaintiffs initially sought $2 million in damages.

Due to the confidential terms of the agreement, the public may never know what each of the teenagers received in the settlement.

“We didn’t pursue this lawsuit to change the industry, but to bring awareness that predators can be found in any field,” Angela Sharbino, a parent of one of the plaintiffs, said. “This was about holding the person who harmed our kids accountable.”

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs described a damaging work environment where they were coerced into inappropriate content and subjected to psychological abuse. The lawsuit claims Smith, in particular, made the children believe their self-worth was related to their performances — while discouraging independence and dissent.

“I want to publicly commend these 11 kids. They’re smart and brave,” Sarelson said. “What they went through was grotesque. I look forward to watching them thrive as young adults.”

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