A 35-year-old teacher faces charges of having sex with a relative after allegedly having sex with her two adopted children
A Washington State teacher who built a public profile on behalf of foster children has been arrested on charges of sleeping with relatives after authorities accused her of sleeping with two young boys she adopted.
Amber Swain, 35, of Newport, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of sleeping with second-degree relatives following an investigation by the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office, according to local reports.
The allegations have shaken the small rural community where Swain works as a teacher and administrator at Pend Oreille River School, a high school in the Newport School District.
Authorities say the investigation began May 18 after the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families contacted the sheriff’s office about possible sexual abuse involving two young males.
Investigators conducted interviews with the suspects before detectives interviewed Swain on Tuesday. Deputies eventually learned there was probable cause to arrest him, according to reports citing the sheriff’s office.
Swain appeared in Pend Oreille District Court the next day.
During the trial, Prosecutor Dolly Hunt asked for $50,000 bail and told the court that there was evidence that Swain tried to contact one of the suspects in jail, according to The Miner court reports.
Judge Robin McCroskey set bail at $20,000.
Swain was released Thursday under strict conditions that prohibit contact with anyone under the age of 18, require him to live in Washington state and authorize regular contact with legal counsel.
In interviews with law enforcement, one of the boys admitted to having sex with Swain before he was 18 years old, according to KREM-TV.
The young man told investigators that the two had sex “many times” – even as recently as two days before the interview with law enforcement, KREM-TV reported.
Swain initially denied having sex with the girl when interviewed by investigators, the television station reported. But she later told law enforcement that she did indeed sleep with one of the boys in February, which would have been after she turned 18.
Although Swain later reportedly told investigators: “I’d be wasting my time.”
Another teenage victim told investigators she touched Swain several times while they slept together in May. He told law enforcement that the incident lasted several minutes before Swain stopped it.
Prosecutors asked that Swain be banned from contacting the youth after he allegedly had contact with them while in custody, KREM-TV reported.
The Newport school district moved quickly after the arrest, placing Swain on administrative leave and barring him from contacting students and staff while the case is pending.
The criminal case is now headed to Pend Oreille County Superior Court, where Swain is scheduled to appear on Monday.
Under Washington law, first-degree consanguinity is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Consanguineous intercourse is a class C felony.
The Post has sought comment from Swain.
