A 48-year-old nursery school teacher, Sarah Hazledine, has been charged over the alleged r*pe of a three-year-old child.
Hazledine allegedly molested the toddler in August 2024 while working as a teacher at Spearfish day care in South Dakota.
She has since been charged with first-degree r*pe of a minor under the age of 13 and s*xual contact with a minor under the age of 16.
According to court documents, both the charges she faces are said to relate to an incident involving the same alleged victim.
She is said to have posted a $75,000 (£58,150) bond on Thursday, March 20, after she was indicted by a Lawrence County grand jury and arrested. Her grand jury indictment says she’s accused of “s*xually penetrating a child” in August 2024.
A woman who says she’s been friends with Hazledine for 30 years confirmed she was employed at a day care in Spearfish. But the woman who said she has been friends with Hazledine for decades claims the allegations against the nursery teacher are false.
She added that dozens of people provided their names and contact information in less than 24 hours to serve as a witness to testify to Hazledine’s character.
A date has been set for an initial court appearance for Hazledine of April 28. If convicted, she would face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for first degree r*pe.
