What can look like innocent attention toward a child can mask something far more sinister, a Kentucky advocate warns as the state’s new grooming law lands its first arrest just weeks after taking effect.Laura Wills-Coppelman, founder of ICKY, or Institutional Complicity Kentucky, told Fox News Digital that she sees the arrest as evidence of what the new grooming offense was designed to provide — an earlier opportunity for authorities to potentially intervene before alleged conduct escalates into sexual abuse."For the first time, Kentucky has a legal ability to intervene in a situation where a child could potentially face irreversible harm," Wills-Coppelman said."It's a massive step forward in an effort to prevent child abuse."KENTUCKY MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER ACCUSED OF CROSSING THE LINE WITH STUDENT, ARRESTED UNDER NEW ANTI-GROOMING LAWAuthorities arrested Graves County Middle School teacher Sadie Flores after an investigation into an alleged improper relationship with a student.
(Graves County Detention Center)The new law was invoked just weeks after taking effect July 15, when 25-year-old Sadie M.Flores of Mayfield was arrested and charged with grooming a minor, a Class D felony.The Graves County Sheriff's Office said Flores, an employee at Graves County Middle School, allegedly had an improper relationship with a minor student in the district.The allegation was initially reported to Graves County Schools, which immediately turned the information over to the sheriff's office, according to authorities.Detectives seized electronic records, conducted interviews and took other investigative steps before interviewing Flores and arresting her around 3:30 p.m., the sheriff's office said.HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR PLEADS GUILTY TO MULTIPLE SEX CRIMES INVOLVING TEEN SHE WAS MEANT TO HELPA woman poses with a sign as members of the public queue to enter a council meeting during a protest calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse and grooming gangs, outside the council o...