FROM STAFF REPORTS

A former Iredell-Statesville Schools teacher who was free trial on while awaiting trial on felony sex charges, including statutory rape, has been charged with violating the conditions of her pretrial release for a second time.

Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrest of Elizabeth Suzanne Bailey, 37, of Bluff Court, Statesville, in a news release Monday.

Bailey was arrested on Saturday after ICSO deputies determined that she violated the conditions of her release for violating a court order. 

Magistrate Russell issued Bailey a $750,000 secured bond on that charge, but District Court Judge Christine Underwood subsequently struck the new bond and allowed Bailey to be released on her original $50,000 bond, Campbell said.

Bailey, who worked at Northview Academy (formerly Pressly School) as a science teacher, was first employed by I-SS in February of 2010 as an assistant. She has also served as an exceptional children’s teacher.

In July of 2022, the ICSO Special Victims Unit began investigating after receiving a report regarding a teacher possibly having had a sexual relationship with a student, Campbell said.

She was initially arrested on August 1, 2022, and charged with felony statutory rape of a child age 15 or younger, felony Indecent liberties with a child, and felony sex offense with a student. 

A week later, she was charged with felony statutory sex offense with a child under age 15 and a misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. 

On September 2, Bailey was arrested again and charged with nine counts of misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor, nine counts of felony intimidating or interfering with a states witness, and misdemeanor violation of pre-trial release conditions. 

Her most recent arrest stemmed from a motor vehicle accident in the 700 block of Mocksville Highway, according to the news release.

Deputies received information that two of the three juveniles in Bailey’s vehicle ran from the scene, Campbell said.

The deputies were requested to help search for the two suspects who fled. Before the deputies’ arrival, two juveniles who had fled were located.

Deputies assisted in transporting one of the juveniles back to the accident location. The deputies cleared the scene, and the N.C. Highway Patrol investigated the vehicle wreck.

According to the news release, Bailey admitted she had been drinking at the time of the accident, Campbell said. Troopers charged her with misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor and a misdemeanor for allowing an unlicensed driver to drive.

Later Saturday, ICSO Lt. C. Little determined that the juvenile driving the vehicle in the earlier accident had an outstanding Juvenile Secure Custody Order issued by the N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice.

Deputies located the juvenile at his residence and took him into custody. The juvenile was transported to the Alexander County Detention Center.

Deputies and members of the ICSO Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Team responded to Bailey’s residence. They took her into custody because she was under court order to stay away from one of the juveniles in the vehicle.

This investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may follow, Campbell said.