A married teacher with a stripper pole in her home blamed her weight loss for claims she’d raped up to 10 underage boys.
Brittany Fortinberry, 31, is said to have given the jaw-dropping excuse after she was arrested for aggressively sexually-assaulting a 15 year old boy.
Police said Fortinberry, of Martinsville in Indiana, told them that she regrets the day she lost 150 pounds because if she was still heavier she would not have run into any issues, FOX59 reports.
Fortinberry, a married mother of four, told her students she dreamt of sex with them, it is alleged.
She showed the youngsters and a stripper pole before going on to assault them, court documents allege.
The married Indiana teacher has been charged with three counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, dissemination of matter harmful to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, FOX59 reports.
Fortinberry, who has four young sons, was reported to police after a grandmother approached the authorities and claimed her 16-year-old grandson had been abused when he was just 15-years-old.
He then reportedly told investigators that up to ten other students may have fallen victim to the accused teacher.
The boy’s grandmother claimed he was sent graphic messages before the abuse which also saw him plied with drugs and taken on a trip by Fortinberry who allegedly threatened to kill herself if he told anyone of the abuse.
‘[The boy] said that it was no different than a 30-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl. [The boy] said it was child molestation and he’s there because he doesn’t want her to molest more kids,’ per court documents obtained by WRTV.
Brittany Fortinberry, 31, showed her students sex toys and a stripper pole before going on to assault them, court documents allege. Pictured: Fortinberry with her husband
Fortinberry’s home in Martinsville, Indiana is pictured. The teacher had a stripper pole inside
In another instance, Fortinberry is said to have sent inappropriate messages to two students at Eminence High School in August last year, including flirty Snapchat messages and explicit videos showing her stripper pole and sex toys.
‘It is just bizarre you come to a school, see a teacher and you are supposed to be able to trust them,’ one of the alleged victims told police, per court documents.
When they searched her home, officers discovered the pole and other sexual paraphernalia described by the students.
Fortinberry was charged with two counts of dissemination of material harmful to minors over the incident, after she allegedly told the students she ‘dreamed’ of bedding them.
She was immediately suspended from her position with Eminence Community School Corporation after the allegations emerged.
The corporation said in a statement that it ‘immediately’ reported the accusations to the police and child protection services.
‘The employee was immediately suspended the night of August 22, 2024, pending investigation into the reported misconduct,’ the statement read.
Fortinberry is pictured in happier times. She is said to have told police that she blames her weight loss for the alleged child rapes
She has been charged with three counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, dissemination of matter harmful to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor
Fortinberry’s mother shared a snap of her daughter to mark her 30th birthday. But the teacher now has little to celebrate
‘On or before 9:45 am the following morning, on August 23, 2024, a resignation notice was received from Ms. Fortinberry and her employment with the Eminence Community Schools immediately ended.
‘The welfare and safety of our students is the top priority of the Eminence Community Schools.
‘As such, the School Corporation has been and will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement and the Morgan County Prosecutor’s Office in this matter.’
Fortinberry graduated from the University of Indianapolis with a bachelor of science in public health education in 2021.
She then went back to grad school where she completed a postgraduate course in public health education.
