Ex-teacher pleads not guilty in sex-with-pupil case

KENTON — A former Lima teacher pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that accuse her of having a sexual relationship and smoking marijuana with a pupil.Whitney Chiles, 30, pleaded not guilty to sexual battery, a third-degree felony; unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a third-degree felony; corrupting another with drugs, a fourth-degree felony; and sexual imposition; a third-degree misdemeanor. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 11.5 years in prison.Judge William Hart of Hardin County Common Pleas Court set bail at $7,500 and allowed Chiles to travel out of state in November for a planned vacation with her family. She is not allowed to be around children alone unless supervised by an adult. The only exception is her own son, Hart ruled.The judge also scheduled her trial for March 6 and set aside three days.Chiles worked as an intervention specialist for Lima City School District. She resigned her position at Lima North Middle School, where she worked with special-education pupils since 2006. Ada Police Department officers searched Chiles' home in Ada confiscating items after officers received reports of inappropriate behavior with a teenager. The teenager admitted to having sex with Chiles, according to a report in her personnel file with Lima City Schools.A school district report sent to the Ohio Department of Education in April said Chiles' husband, Drew Chiles, contacted Superintendent Karel Oxley on March 31 to report his wife may have engaged in “suspicious activity” with a pupil that extended beyond appropriate boundaries. Another teacher told Oxley that Whitney Chiles had confided in her that she had kissed a pupil, smoked marijuana with him, and possibly had sex with him.Oxley began an investigation that included calling parents. That led to a parent who said she located a cellphone text message her son sent to Chiles asking for money. The teenager threatened to tell his mother if he were not paid.The teenager was interviewed and told school officials that Chiles arranged a meeting on Feb. 18 to pick him up and drive to her home where they smoked marijuana and had sex. Chiles was put on immediate leave, which led to her resignation.You can comment on this story at www.limaohio.com.