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HOLLISTER, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri coach and early childhood teacher who is accused of having sex with a 16-year-old student has been charged with statutory rape.
The Springfield News-Leader (http://sgfnow.co/29dTAM6) reports that the charges filed Wednesday against 34-year-old Calvin Lee Thomas Jr. came just days after the allegations surfaced. Hollister Police Chief Preston Schmidt says the investigation remains open and that additional charges are possible.
Thomas worked with young students with special needs. He also coached track and football.
Hollister Superintendent Brian Wilson says the staff member was been placed on a leave of absence and barred from school premises.
If convicted, Thomas faces up to seven years in prison on each of the two felony counts of second-degree statutory rape. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.
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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com
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