A New Jersey educator admitted to sexually abusing a fifth-grade student who authorities say later identified himself as the father of her child.
Laura Caron, 36, pleaded guilty Oct. 28 to second-degree endangering the welfare of a child through sexual conduct. Cape May County prosecutors said she could receive a five-year prison sentence, lose her teaching license and be barred from future public employment. She must also register under Megan’s Law and remain under lifetime parole supervision.
Her attorney, John Tumelty, told Oxygen that he would not comment publicly until the sentencing hearing.
The allegations came to light in December 2024, after the Middle Township School District received an anonymous report claiming a staff member had been involved in a sexual relationship with a student, former Chief Assistant Prosecutor Dara Paley said at a January 2025 hearing on pretrial detention. Investigators later identified the staff member as Caron.
The concern reportedly followed a Facebook post by the boy’s father, who wrote that he saw a physical resemblance between members of his family and Caron’s child, born in April 2019.
Paley told the court that the boy was 13 when he allegedly fathered the child, while Caron was 28 at the time.
Police determined that the alleged abuse began in 2016, when the boy was 11, and continued through 2020.
Caron was arrested in January 2025. The Middle Township School District told CBS News that she was placed on administrative leave after officials learned of the allegations.
The boy’s father told investigators that Caron had been a family friend who regularly allowed his children to spend the night and drove them to school. Over time, he said, that arrangement became ongoing.
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In court, Paley said the victim reported that the assaults happened about twice a week over four years—an estimate of 416 alleged assaults against the child.
The boy’s sister told investigators that she often found him in Caron’s bed when she woke up. She also reported that Caron would enter a private bathroom while her brother was showering.
Paley said the sister gave investigators a screenshot of a text exchange in which the boy said he was the father of Caron’s child. He allegedly asked her to keep it secret because he did not want her to get in trouble.
According to Paley, the boy also told police and his mother that he was the child’s father.
Caron’s lawyer, however, described her as a “very impressive young woman” with an “impeccable” record as a teacher. He also argued that investigators had no DNA evidence supporting the allegations.
A judge initially released Caron under pretrial monitoring. Six months later, she was indicted on aggravated sexual assault and additional charges.
She is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 8, 2027, after entering her guilty plea.
Representatives of the Middle Township Police Department, Middle Township Public Schools and the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to Oxygen requests for comment.
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