A Phil Campbell High School teacher is out on bond Monday after being charged with engaging in sexual intercourse with a student.
Jordan Benford, 28, is a science teacher and assistant football coach at PCHS. Benford was arrested late Sunday night by the Franklin County Sheriffs Office after investigators met with the parents of a 17-year-old female student at Phil Campbell.
Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said the initial call from the student's parents came around 9 p.m., Sunday night. Deputies arrested Benford shortly after 10 p.m.
Oliver said Benford spoke with investigators and acknowledged 'an incident of sexual activity' with the student. He was held in the Franklin County Jail overnight before bonding out Monday on a $50,000 bond.
Oliver notified Franklin County Schools Superintendent of Education Greg Hamilton Sunday night about the case. Hamilton said Benford has been placed on leave as of March 15. The next regular meeting of the Franklin County Board of Education is set for April 20, 2021.
Alabama Code Section 13A-6-81 makes it a Class B felony for a school employee to engage in sexual intercourse with a student. And consent is not a defense to the charge.
Upon conviction, the crime carries a 2-20 year prison sentence.
The constitutionality of Alabama's law relating to school employee/student sexual activity has been challenged multiple times. Defense attorneys have argued the equal protection rights of school employees have been violated by the 2010 law because it makes otherwise consensual sex with a 16-year-old or older illegal for school employees yet legal for other adults.
A Morgan County judge ruled the law was unconstitutional in 2018 and dismissed a case against a Decatur teacher. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals later reversed that ruling and sent the case back to Morgan County Circuit Court for prosecution.
Benford played baseball while a student at PCHS and his playing career continued at the collegiate level at Alabama A&M University.
Hamilton refused to state whether Benford was placed on paid or unpaid leave, citing confidentiality issues.
The case will now be turned over to the Franklin County District Attorney's Office, where it will be presented to a future grand jury.
