Teachers Accused Of Sex With Students May Have Given Them Coke Too
The two California teachers accused of having sex with several students during a "booze-filled beach trip" also allegedly gave them cocaine.
Last January, it was reported that Melody Suzanne Lippert, 38, and Michelle Louise Ghirelli, 30, had orchestrated an unauthorized, overnight camping excursion to San Clemente Beach with a group of underage male students.
It was on this trip, which allegedly occurred between Nov. 23 and Dec. 29, that police say the two Covina-Valley Unified School District employees gave the students alcohol and had sex with at least two of them.
Further investigation has provided some more details regarding the event.
According to KTLA, Lippert allegedly sent out a group text message to Ghirelli and five students informing them of the trip.
Lippert, who taught at South Hills High School for 15 years, is accused of organizing the sex between Ghirelli and a 17-year-old boy.
Alcohol and cocaine were reportedly provided by both women, as well.
The pair were originally only charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor due to a lack of evidence, but the new developments have resulted in more extreme charges that were issued on Monday.
Lippert has been charged with one felony count of unlawful sexual intercourse and one felony count of furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.
Ghirelli faces charges for one felony count of unlawful sexual intercourse, one felony count of furnishing a controlled substance to a minor and one felony count of oral copulation of a minor.
The two were also hit with sentence-enhancement charges because they are at least four years older than the students involved.
Daily Mail reports that Lippert may have met with numerous students, presumably the same ones involved in this case, at the same beach shortly before the trip.
She reportedly gave them alcohol and had sex with one of them.
Lippert could go to jail for up to 10 years and six months -- compared to 11 yeas and eight months for Ghirelli -- if convicted of all charges.
She and Ghirelli were scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, but the verdict was not disclosed.
Citations: Sex Drug Charges Filed Against Covina Valley Teachers in Connection With Camping Trip (KTLA-TV), Two teachers who had boozy beach party with five male students now charged with having sex with the teens and giving them COCAINE (Daily Mail)
