OKLAHOMA COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office filed a search warrant for computers and a laptop at Deer Creek Schools that could contain sexual materials sent from a teacher to a teenage student at Deer Creek high school.
According to the search warrant, 23-year-old Sarah Hull-Degroat created a Google Doc where she allegedly sent sexually explicit texts and a nude image to a 15-year-old student through his school issued email address. The school’s computer software flagged the conversation because of key words related to sex.
The warrant stated the two planned to meet on Friday, December 2, which was the same day the school’s computer system alerted staff of the sexual messages.
Oklahoma County Sheriff, Tommie Johnson III, said the office had received the items listed on the warrant and were combing through the devices.
“We’re looking into everything,” said Johnson. “We’re looking into communications that were had between the parties. Obviously, emails, anything that could go into this.”
According to the warrant, the school district would not turn over evidence until the student’s parents gave consent. The sheriff’s office wrote in the warrant that “multiple times in the past, Deer Creek Schools have stated they could not release evidence to us and have threatened to cancel their contract between OCSO and Deer Creek School resource officers if we obtained a search warrant.”
When KFOR asked Sheriff Johnson about the alleged threats to stop the district’s SRO contracts, he responded by saying it was something he would look into, indicating he hadn’t heard about any problems.
“That happened before my time prior to being here,” said Johnson. “I can’t substantiate any of those allegations right now. We’re going to have to at least I’m going to have to look into it to make sure those are valid or true.
KFOR reached out to Lenis DeRiuex with Deer Creek Schools. She said she and her staff were shocked by the statement in the warrant. She said the district and the sheriff’s office have a great working relationship. She sent this statement regarding the comments made in the warrant:
“The rationale to expedite this search warrant inaccurately portrays our past and current relationship with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) and our willingness to cooperate with law enforcement in accordance with state and federal law.”
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The district also told News 4 it released what was asked for in the search warrant.
“Once the OCSO provided the required documents, within minutes the records requested were provided.” Investigators will evaluate data found on the computers and laptop to narrow down a timeline for the interaction between the teacher and student, as well as what sexual materials were exchanged.
Deputies arrested Hull-Degroat last week. She was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center, charged with soliciting sexual contact or communication with a minor by use of technology. The warrant said she was advised, by the school staff, to ask for an attorney and “plead the fifth.”