A former Eupora High School employee is scheduled to have an initial court appearance this week on a statutory rape charge.
Webster County Jail records show Kayla Murphy Tindall surrendered on an arrest warrant the afternoon of Feb. 4 and was booked on a felony charge of statutory rape. She was released shortly thereafter upon posting a $50,000 bond set by Justice Court Judge Rebecca Ellison.
Tindall, 32, is scheduled to have an initial appearance in Webster County Justice Court at 1 p.m. Friday before Ellison.
The Webster County Sheriff’s Department, in a Feb. 5 social media post, identified Tindall as a former Eupora High School teacher. Minutes of the Webster County School Board show she was hired as an assistant teacher at EHS during a special meeting on July 30.
As reported last week, Superintendent Brian Jones of the Webster County Schools said Jan. 31 that EHS administrators were made aware the day before of alleged misconduct by an employee, who was not named.
He said an immediate investigation was initiated into the allegation, in addition to one being conducted by the sheriff’s office and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Jones also said the employee in question was no longer employed by Webster County Schools, although he did not indicate whether or not the employee was terminated or resigned. Jones did not release further details because of the ongoing investigation and the situation being a personnel matter.
“Our top priority is the safety of our students,” he stated.
The sheriff’s office confirmed in its post that the case had been turned over to MBI and that the agency would be handling any further investigations into the case.
MBI Investigator Vernon Hathcock filed the affidavit against Tindall on Feb. 4 that charged her with statutory rape, according to Justice Court records.
Hathcock alleged in the document that Tindall had sexual intercourse with a child who was 13 at the time on or about Oct. 1. The affidavit specified that the child was 36 or more months younger than Tindall but did not refer to her occupation as a school employee at the time.
