COURT HOUSE – A Middle Township fifth grade teacher charged with aggravated sexual assault on a boy who was living with her and whom she once taught began a sexual relationship with him when he was 11, according to the affidavit of probable cause in the case. The relationship led to the birth of a child.
Laura Caron, 34, now suspended from her job, is being held without bail in the Cape May County Correctional Center, having been arrested at her home on Orbit Drive in Court House on Jan. 15.
Caron was arrested after the situation came to light following a social media post by the victim’s father, who said that Caron’s child looked very much like him and his son. Middle’s schools superintendent, David Salvo, then relayed to police an anonymous tip about an alleged sexual relationship between the teacher and student.
According to the affidavit, Caron became friends with the family of the student, and the family allowed him to live at her home for most of a four-year period beginning in 2016. The sexual relationship continued through 2020 and resulted in the birth of the child, the affidavit says.
The victim, who was born in 2005, has admitted being the father of Caron’s now 5-year-old child, according to the affidavit. She gave birth to the child in 2019, when the victim was 13 and she was 28, the affidavit says.
The school district says that it has suspended Caron, placing her on paid administrative leave, and ended any contact she had with students at the school where she taught, Elementary School #2. She started as a teacher in the district in 2014.
The district is making counselors available for any students or staff members who may need them.
Caron faces three counts, aggravated sexual assault in the first degree on a victim between the ages of 13 and 16, second-degree sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said that conviction of a first-degree crime can lead to a jail term of 10 to 20 years. Second-degree crimes carry a potential five- to 10-year term of imprisonment.
“This arrest underscores the unwavering commitment of our office and law enforcement partners to protect the children in our community,” Sutherland said.
Middle Township Police Chief Tracy Super said, “The welfare of our children is of the utmost importance, and we are fully dedicated to pursuing justice in cases like this.”
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
