BETHANY, Okla. – A former Putnam City school employee is facing possible felony charges after police said she had an inappropriate relationship with a now 14-year-old boy.
Elizabeth Madrid, 29, was arrested March 1 and booked in the Oklahoma County Jail on 30 counts of second-degree child rape and lewd acts with a child, police in Bethany announced Monday.
“Everything is a case by case basis. It just depends on the severity of the relationship, so to speak,” Lt. Angelo Orefice with the Bethany Police Department said. “So, it’s not unordinary to have a lot of charges like this.”
Orefice said Madrid and the alleged victim met in 2016 when she was working at Western Oaks Elementary School as an attendance secretary.
According to Orefice, the two began to text in early 2017.
“He was a student at the time,” he said. “Eventually, it became a sexual relationship in June or July 2018.”
A spokesperson for Putnam City Schools said Madrid has not been employed by the district since May 2018, citing only it was a “personnel matter.”
However, we are told the district’s digital communication policy generally does not allow teachers, coaches or staff members to text students individually. Exceptions to the policy include confidential, medical or crisis matters, which must be disclosed to the administration.
The school district and Putnam City campus police have been cooperating in the active investigation, police said.
Shelby Lynch, education manager at the CARE Center in Oklahoma City, said 90 percent of child abuse victims are abused by someone they know, love and trust. While the conversation with children can be difficult, she said it’s vital.
“We have to have it so kids know and understand why types of conversations are appropriate and what kind of conversations are inappropriate,” Lynch said.
In the digital age, Lynch said parents can never be too careful.
“Parents really need to be involved in their kids social media whether that’s who they’re texting, who they’re friends with on Instagram or Snapchat. You know, apps like that,” she said. “You don’t want to be a helicopter parent. You really don’t want to make it seem like you don’t trust your child, but you also need to let your child know that it is your job to keep them safe.”
Madrid remains in the Oklahoma County Jail on a $550,000 bond.
Police said, at this point, there is no reason to believe there may be other victims as far as the suspect is concerned.
