Student Speaks Out About Affair With Teacher
March 13, 2007 — -- Like a reluctant witness called to testify, 17-year-old Tommy Clay haltingly described to a national television audience today how he ended up in a scandalous relationship with his high school social studies teacher. And what it cost him.
"She was somebody I could really talk to and relate to," the Colorado teenager confessed on NBC's "The Today Show." "I met her in summer school and things just developed from there."
What's "developed" has 30-year-old Carrie McCandless facing felony charges of sexual assault on an underage student, and for contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly providing him with alcohol.
According to reports from the arrest affidavits, the Brighton Charter School teacher and her student became romantically involved in early October of last year.
The affair heated up quickly, according to court records, which note that in just one day Clay and his teacher exchanged 76 text messages.
Did they fear getting caught? "We didn't openly discuss it," the teenager told the "The Today Show's" Matt Lauer. "I guess it was more of, it's over if it ever comes out."
And come out it did. It was forced into the light during an overnight hiking trip involving a small group of students from the suburban Denver charter school.
McCandless, the trip chaperone, Clay, and the other teens shared a cabin.
According to the arrest affidavit, students noticed the pair making out on the floor of the cabin.
One student told investigators he overheard Clay talking about the first time he had sex with McCandless and smoked marijuana with her.
Clay himself told police that he and the teacher drank alcohol, kissed and fondled one another during the trip. In the affidavit he also admits it was not the first time they had "made out."
In October, school administrators were reportedly made aware of concerns that the teacher was having an inappropriate relationship with a Brighton student. But neither the principal of the school, Chris McCandless -- Carrie's husband -- or school board president David Mundy notified authorities. Instead, they called Tommy Clay into the office.
