41 year old Scott White was charged last week in Barry County with four counts of first-degree statutory rape for allegedly having sex with a child younger than the age of 14. White was put on paid administrative leave by Russellville High School, where he was set to coach basketball. The charges stem from the spring of 2011 in the Exeter R-6 School District.
White was a P.E. teacher and basketball and baseball at Exeter, which is on the Missouri-Arkansas state line. According to a sheriff’s department probable cause statement, the victim told school officials she “had sex on school grounds four separate times…between April and May of 2011.”
Charges weren’t filed until last week and school officials at Russellville were unaware of pending charges until White notified the school himself. Russellville has hired a substitute teacher to cover his P.E. classes and a decision will be made at a later date on the basketball, head coaching position.
White’s next court appearance is set for September 20, in Cassville. If he’s convicted of any of the four charges, White could serve five years to life in prison.
