A teacher at Mervo High School who is charged with sexually abusing a 12-year-old child was not granted bail. Lewis Laury, 24, was accused with sexual offense in the third degree and second-degree rape.
Though Laury works for Baltimore City Public Schools, the crimes, according to the police, took place at his Baltimore County apartment. Court records that were retrieved show that the two shared an apartment building.
The judge expressed her concern over the specifics of the case, even though Laury had no prior criminal history. According to Laury’s public defender, Laury is a law school student who is accused of raping a minor.
A week after her family filed a missing person’s report on June 21, the girl was discovered at Laury’s residence. According to court documents retrieved, the girl’s friend’s phone contained Laury’s number.
Police discovered that Laury shared an apartment building with the child after tracking down the phone number associated with it. The girl claimed to be 22 years old when they first met on a neighborhood playground, according to the state prosecutor.
Read Also: Man Kills Parents and Friends Days After Release, Receives Life Sentence
According to criminal documents, the girl was eventually located in Laury’s apartment. She claimed police she had multiple sex sessions with Laury over the course of three days while she was in the hospital.
As the state prosecutor noted, Laury couldn’t recall if he had done anything with the girl when he was taken into custody and questioned by the police.
During his bail hearing, Laury’s public counsel promised to keep him away from the girl by having him live in a different house if he was released from his apartment.
Laury was still to be detained without bond, though. If found guilty, Laury may serve up to 30 years in prison. Online court records state that Laury has a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 26. The principal of Mervo wrote a letter to the family.
“I can assure you that our Mervo team and City Schools take this matter seriously,” the principal stated. “City Schools’ Human Capital Office is aware of the arrest and will take appropriate action.”
