A former teacher of the year in Indiana is facing charges for having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old student.
Former Plainfield Middle School teacher Joseph Singleton resigned after investigators say he crossed the line with a 13-year-old girl.
According to court documents, "the victim states they were talking and hugging each other...and kissed."
The victim also said Singleton kissed her twice that day and "the next several days they saw each other, they kissed and hugged."
Singleton's arrest came as a shock to former Plainfield Middle School student Clarence Jackson.
"I didn't have him as a teacher, but I know him as a person and he seems like a really nice guy that would not do anything like that, so I seemed to be shocked and upset," Jackson said.
The lead investigator in the case came to the school after the girl's parents reported alleged text messages between Singleton and their daughter.
Court documents show during questioning, Singleton stated that they kissed probably three or four times in his classroom after school. He reportedly admitted kissing the eighth grader "to comfort her and to make her feel better."
Jackson, now a tenth-grader, says students like him are taught early on about telling an adult when a teacher goes too far.
"It's the law. As an adult, you got to realize what you are doing and when to stop and how far to go. If he seems to break that law, then I guess he's got to go to jail," Jackson.
Singleton is facing one count of attempted child molestation. School officials have assured parents the school is safe and they don't encourage such behavior. They are also reminding parents to talk to their children about parents who may go too far.
