A hobby turned into a nightmare for one young child as they were sexually molested by their dance instructor.
An Ohio woman is facing accusations of repeatedly raping a student who was under the age of 13.
Kaitlyn Wilkes, 19, of Vienna, is charged with 12 counts of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition.
A police official with the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office said, Wilkes had been an instructor at a dance school where she’d previously been a student, and was fired after the accusations surfaced.
Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Diane Barber, reports the alleged rapes occurred between December 2021 and February 2022 at four locations in the county.
Barber said in court that each of the rape counts carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Barber went on to say, that as an instructor, Wilkes had authority over the alleged victim.
Wilkes pleaded not guilty to the charges during a Wednesday arraignment, court records show. Her bond was set at $250,000, and she was ordered not to have contact with anyone under the age of 18 and was forbidden from using social media.
Her next court appearance is due on July 20 for a pretrial hearing.