A Mid-Del school teacher who resigned after being accused of sending inappropriate messages to a middle school student turned himself in to Del City Police last week and was subsequently arrested. Christian Ridner, 39, is out on bail following his Halloween arrest.
Investigators say Ridner sent the girl messages through social media, saying that he "liked her body." Reports indicate that he met the girl at her school, saying that he was her mentor, and that he tried to arrange a meeting with her at a football game, but she refused.
Police say that when the girl refused to meet Ridner at the game, she told her principal that she and the teacher had been "in a relationship" for about three weeks, and she reported the inappropriate messages to her parents.
The former middle school teacher is currently charged with one count of engaging in sexual communication with a minor.
Children today seem to mature more quickly than in the past, and often, young teens are more sexually experienced that parents would like to believe. Regardless, engaging in sexual conversations or sexual activity with a minor is always against the law in Oklahoma, and the consequences are severe.
In the eyes of the law, it does not matter who initiated the conversation or what lies were told to facilitate a conversation. If an adult has sexually explicit communication with a minor, he or she may be criminally charged under a number of Oklahoma laws. Most commonly, such a person will be charged with lewd or indecent proposals or acts to a child under 16 or with soliciting sexual conduct or communication with a minor by use of technology. Often, the defendant will be charged with one or more crimes related to the offense. If the communication is carried out over a computer or computer network, the state will generally also charge the defendant with violation of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.
Lewd or indecent proposals or acts to a child under 16 covers a wide variety of actions, and it is punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison if the minor is aged 12 to 15. If the child is under 12, however, conviction carries a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison.
Soliciting sexual conduct or communication with a minor by use of technology is a felony sex crime punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act by using a computer or network to break any Oklahoma state law is a separate felony punishable by a maximum of 5 years in prison in addition to any penalties for the underlying crime.
Even if no sexual contact occurs between the adult and the minor, the mere fact of a sexually explicit conversation is enough to trigger criminal charges and serious legal penalties.
