Monmouth County Teacher, 24, Indicted for Alleged Sexual Relationship with Student

A Monmouth County grand jury has handed up a three-count indictment charging a Wall Township school teacher with engaging in sexual conduct with a student, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Friday.

Kalee Warnick, 24, of Manasquan, is charged in the indictment with first degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and second degree Sexual Assault.

The charges stem from a joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Wall Township Police Department that found she engaged in an inappropriate relationship with her 15-year-old victim beginning in January 2013 while Warnick, then-22, was the victim’s freshman English teacher at Wall High School. The inappropriate relationship with the victim is alleged to have taken place in various municipalities in Monmouth County, culminating with an act of sexual penetration in July 2013 while at the Warnick’s Wall Township residence, according to police documents.

Warnick was arrested by Wall Township police in July after the incident was reported on July 14. She was charged initially with aggravated criminal sexual contact, a third degree crime, and one count of having a sexual relationship with a minor she had responsibility of the care of, which is a second degree crime.

Warnick was one of four teachers approved for summer in-home instruction for students at a school board meeting for the high school, just two months before her arrest.

Warnick is no longer employed by the high school, according to an employee who answered the phone at the high school administration office.

If convicted of the second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child and/or Sexual Assault, Warnick faces five to 10 years in a New Jersey state prison on both charges. Warnick would also be required to register for Megan’s Law and subject to Parole Supervision for Life (PSL), the first 5 years of PSL would be subject to the “No Early Release Act” (NERA) sentencing guidelines, meaning if she violates parole within the first five year of her PSLs she would be returned to state prison to serve out whatever time is left on the five-year period of supervision before continuing with PSL.

If convicted of the Aggravated Sexual Assault charge, Warnick faces a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison, subject to the provisions of NERA requiring her to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole. She would also be under parole supervision for five years following her release from state prison.

Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.

To read the original story on Patch from July, click here.