A former Pender Public Schools teacher’s aide faces two serious felony charges stemming from an alleged sexual relationship with a high school student.
Kyla Taylor, 20, of Wisner was charged Tuesday with first-degree sexual abuse by a school employee and making false statements. She is scheduled to appear in Cuming District Court on Wednesday, July 24.
Taylor’s charges are the result of an investigation by the Cuming County Sheriff’s Office that began shortly after her dismissal by the Pender School District.
Timothy Schultz, deputy sheriff with the Cuming County Sheriff’s Office, wrote in an affidavit for a search warrant that he was notified by the Thurston County Attorney’s Office on February 7 that the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office was investigating alleged sexual abuse by a Pender Public Schools school employee.
The case under investigation involved an alleged relationship between Taylor and a high school student. The student had told a Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy that he and Taylor had had sex at Taylor’s Wisner apartment, which required the involvement of Cuming County authorities.
Schultz coordinated an interview with Taylor and her attorney, Brad Montag, that took place in Norfolk on Feb. 16. After being advised of her Miranda rights, Taylor told Schultz that she and the student became “friends” on the Snapchat app sometime in the summer of 2023.
Taylor said the student bought her a drink at a gas station in Pender that fall. Taylor later posted a photo on Snapchat wearing a Pender Schools shirt, and the student asked her if she worked there. Taylor said she did, but never heard from him again.
According to the affidavit, Taylor said she occasionally saw the alleged victim at school but never spoke to him. She denied ever having a relationship with the student.
Schultz had Taylor draw a map of her apartment and its floor plan. She said that to her knowledge, the student had never been in her apartment during her time there.
Taylor said she did not have the student’s phone number and the two were not “friends” anywhere except on Snapchat.
According to Schultz, Taylor was approached by one of her bosses about her alleged relationship with the student. She then denied the relationship and blocked the student on Snapchat.
On January 26, Taylor’s employment at Pender Public Schools was terminated after the student told staff that he and Taylor had had a sexual relationship.
On February 22, the student was interviewed at a child protection center in Norfolk, where he claimed his relationship with Taylor began in October or November. The two had become friends over Snapchat over the summer and communicated primarily through the app or text messages, even during school hours.
In late October or early November, the student said, Taylor invited him to his home, where they watched movies together. The student went there three or four times, he said, and in early December the two had a sexual encounter. A complaint filed by Cuming County District Attorney Dan Bracht says Taylor’s crimes occurred between Nov. 15 and Dec. 10.
According to the affidavit, Taylor cut off contact with the student one day after the alleged sexual encounter. He claimed that the two had had virtually no contact since their alleged sexual encounter.
The student also drew a map of Taylor’s apartment during his interview with child protective services. Schultz said the boy was able to draw a detailed map that resembled Taylor’s.
After his interview, the student showed Schultz text messages he had exchanged with Taylor. The two used “pet names” for each other and exchanged flirtations, Schultz said. He also mentioned that their relationship remained secret.
Hoping to find evidence to support the allegations against Taylor, law enforcement officials obtained several search warrants for the phones and Snapchat accounts of Taylor and the alleged victim.
If convicted, Taylor faces up to 21 years in prison.