Haley Reed was charged with multiple accounts of third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy and first-degree unlawful transaction with a minor

Choir Director Accused of Raping Student Says What She Allegedly Did Shouldn’t Be Illegal

A Kentucky high school teacher accused of raping a 17-year-old student has argued that the alleged victim was old enough to consent to a sexual relationship.

Haley Reed, 38, was a choir director at Oldham County High Schools. In June 2018, she was arrested after authorities allege she admitted to having sex with a teen student eight times between April 1 and June 1. According to WLKY, all the alleged incidents occurred on school property.

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Reed, who was married at the time of the alleged incidents, had taught at the school district since 2008.

PEOPLE confirms Reed was charged with multiple accounts of third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy and first-degree unlawful transaction with a minor. She was booked into the Oldham County Detention Facility last year, and later released on $25,000 bond.

But in a new court filing first obtained by WLKY-TV, attorneys for Reed argue that the unnamed student was old enough to consent to a sexual relationship. Her attorneys argue that Reed’s rights are being violated under Kentucky’s constitution.

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Reed’s attorney, Greg Simms, tells WHAS-11 that a teenager between the ages of 16 and 18 can consent to having sexual contact under a specific Kentucky statute. But a different Kentucky statute — the one under which Reed was charged — says that it is rape in the third degree for a person in a position of authority or special trust has sex with someone under 18.

The defense argues that the two Kentucky statutes conflict with each other, and that the 17-year-old student should have been able to consent to having sex with Reed.

If a judge rules in favor of the defense, the charges will be dropped. If the case goes to trial, Reed faces up to 100 years in prison for the charges against her, although her attorneys believe that it will be reduced to about 20 years.