STATESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A former Iredell-Statesville Schools teacher arrested for more than two-dozen child-sex charges landed additional charges after being involved in a hit-and-run incident over the weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, May 13, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a traffic accident in the 700 block of Mocksville Highway east of Statesville. Three individuals were in the car, and two had run from the scene. The deputies were requested to help search for the two suspects who fled.
Before the deputies’ arrival, two juveniles who had fled were located, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies assisted in transporting one of the juveniles back to the accident location. The deputies cleared the scene and N.C. Highway Patrol investigated the vehicle wreck.
The adult passenger in the vehicle was Elizabeth Suzanne Bailey, 37, of Statesville. Bailey allegedly admitted she had been drinking at the time of the accident.
Bailey was taken into custody because she was under court order to stay away from one of the juveniles in the vehicle. She was facing trial for felony statuary rape and incident liberties with a child, stemming from a relationship she allegedly had with a student.
Bailey, formerly a teacher at Northview Academy, was first arrested Aug. 1, 2022, with additional charges coming in the following weeks.
On Saturday, Iredell Patrol Lt. C. Little determined that the juvenile driving the vehicle in the earlier accident had an outstanding Juvenile Secure Custody Order issued by the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.
Deputies located the juvenile at his residence and took him into custody. The juvenile was transported to the Alexander County Detention Center.
Bailey was taken to the Iredell County Detention Center, where she was charged with Violation of Pretrial Release and issued Bailey a $750,000 secured bond on this charge. Highway Patrol also cited Bailey for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and a misdemeanor for allowing an unlicensed driver to drive. This investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may follow.
On Monday, Bailey appeared before Iredell County District Court Judge Christine Underwood, who reduced the bond from $750,000 to $50,000. She is being released from custody on this new charge without posting any additional bond for violating a Pre-trail Release Order for a second time.
Bailey is to remain under a posted bond of $800,000 from October 2022.
She was suspended with pay from the school district in August.
