UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A 19-year-old teaching assistant was charged in Union County after deputies said she allegedly took an inappropriate photo of a student.
Channel 9 spoke to an extended family member of the child, speaking out for the first time. They said the family is heartbroken over what happened.
According to investigators, Hannah Embrey was arrested as part of an investigation by the Union County Sheriff’s Office that began last week. Deputies were told Embrey, an instructional assistant at Shiloh Valley Primary School, was helping a student use the bathroom when she took a photo of the student’s backside and sent the photo to someone on Snapchat.
“I have not stopped crying for… a week,” the family member said. “They are outraged that this teacher took a nude photo of their child and sent it on social media.”
Lt. James Maye with the Union County Sheriff’s Office spoke to Channel 9 this week.
“In the defendant’s mind, this was taken as a very bad attempt at humor,” said Maye. “It’s a bad decision on her part.”
James said a school employee caught wind of the photo on Snapchat and reported it. He said deputies arrested Embrey within days of launching their investigation.
However, the family says there is nothing funny about it.
“There’s never anything amusing about taking a naked photo of a child and sending it to an unknown man on the on the internet,” they said.
The family member said the student has autism and has trouble communicating. The family believes Embrey took advantage of that.
“He’s just the cutest little sweetest little most trusting little boy you’ve ever met,” the family member said. “This is a crime against a five-year-old, autistic little boy who could not speak up for himself.”
Embrey faces one misdemeanor and on felony charge. Union County Schools confirmed she has been placed on leave.
(WATCH BELOW: Former teacher charged for alleged sexual acts with a student, Cornelius police say)
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