A high school psychologist has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a boy inside a school classroom.
Police began a lengthy investigation after receiving a report that 35-year-old Kristen Lynn Boyle had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student on the campus of La Habra High School in Orange County, California.
Boyle, of Lake Forest, worked for Fullerton Unified School District and has been on administrative leave since the relationship was discovered.
She and the student are said to have had sex in a classroom in April 2018 at La Habra, where Boyle was assigned at the time, but it’s unclear when law enforcement were made aware of their relationship.
The psychologist was arrested on Friday (September 20) on an arrest warrant served by La Habra police. She was charged with one felony count of statutory rape for having sex with a minor, according to a press release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The age of the student has not been released but their minor status means they were under the age of 18.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer commented on Boyle’s abuse of power in relation to the student, saying:
Mental health professionals wield a tremendous amount of influence over their patients.
This betrayal of trust is even more egregious because she used her position to gain her victim’s trust and then exploited the therapist/patient relationship to prey on one of the very students she was entrusted with helping.
The Attorney’s Office have said their investigation did not uncover any other victims but they are appealing to the public for more information.
According to Fox 11, Boyle posted bail following her arrest and an arraignment date has not yet been set. She will remain on administrative leave from work pending the resolution of her case.
If the psychologist is convicted of felony statutory rape she could face a maximum sentence of three years behind bars.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the La Habra Police Department at (562) 383-4300.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2:30 and 7-9:30). Alternatively you can contact Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on its website or on its helpline – 0808 800 5005.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.