Now that a former Wamego teacher is being suspected of having sex with a pupil, the teacher’s wife is also being accused of engaging in illegal sex with the same student.
Sherri Schuck, the Pottawatomie County Attorney, filed a charge of one count of illicit sexual intercourse against Deborah Sylvester on Thursday. Sylvester is a former educator who worked in the Wamego school system. In Pottawatomie County, her husband Allen Sylvester was accused of committing the same offense. In May in Wabaunsee County, he was accused of identical crimes involving the same victim.
Deborah Sylvester, according to Schuck, surrendered to the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday and was subsequently freed on bond. Schuck was unaware of the status of Allen Sylvester’s warrant as of late Thursday afternoon.
“Bond was sent by Judge (Jeff) Elder at $10,000 in both cases,” Schuck said. “The defendants are not considered a flight risk, and they have resigned from their teaching positions.”
Schuck said that the case in Wabaunsee County against Allen Sylvester is distinct. According to her, Deborah Sylvester is not facing any charges in Wabaunsee County.
The Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office detained Allen Sylvester on May 29 for having illicit sex. (The victim was a student at the same institution where he worked as a teacher.) The USD 320 Board of Education overwhelmingly accepted Allen and Deborah Sylvester’s resignations on May 31 following a series of executive meetings.
Up to the 2021–2022 academic year, Allen Sylvester taught science at Wamego High School. He then moved to Wamego Middle School. The high school’s math teacher was Deborah Sylvester.
