RI Teacher Charged with Third-Degree Sexual Assault

Alisha Crins, a 39-year-old physical education teacher at Ponaganset High School in Glocester, Rhode Island, has been charged with two counts of third-degree sexual assault involving a former male student. The charges stem from allegations that Crins groomed the student beginning when he was a sophomore, sending him flirtatious messages, explicit photos and videos, and engaging in physical contact, including kissing and straddling him in a vehicle. She was arrested last Friday and is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on March 18.

According to court documents and police affidavits, Crins obtained the student's phone number online and initially contacted him under the pretense of needing help with work while she was on vacation. Their exchanges soon turned personal, with Crins complimenting his appearance in school hallways and asking to wear his jersey during a pep rally or borrow his sweatshirt. The student, who was 17 at the time of some interactions, told investigators that the relationship intensified during his junior year, allowing him unusual leeway in her class.

The communications escalated to sexual content by his junior year, the documents state. Crins sent...