Tennessee woman had sex with 9 high school students in exchange for vape pens

Residents of a small Tennessee town are shaken up after a woman was indicted for having sex with at least nine local high school students in exchange for vape pens, reports said.

Melissa Blair, 38, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with 18 counts of statutory rape, four counts of human trafficking by patronizing prostitution, solicitation of a minor, and forfeiture of personal property, NYT reported.

According to McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy, there are at least nine confirmed male victims with incidents occurring from spring 2020 to late 2021 among students at McMinn Central High School in the town of Englewood. Parents told WTVC that Blair reached out to her victims — all of whom were between the ages of 14 and 17 — and offered them items such as vape pens in exchange for sex.

The mother, who wished to remain anonymous for the protection of her child, says they are devastated. “I cannot in words describe what it feels like to be going through what we’re going through right now. It is every emotion that you can imagine. And none of them happy,” she says.

Christie Teague is an Englewood resident and a mother of a McMinn Central High School student who we met on Wednesday. She says she feels for the families affected. “My heart just hurts for them, because I mean, I would be livid if it happened to my kids,” says Teague.

McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy says all 9 confirmed victims were students at McMinn Central High School. We confirmed from an indictment that the victims ranged from 14 to 17 years old at the time of the encounters. During a press conference on Tuesday, District Attorney Steve Crump said there are likely more victims out there.

“In a case like this, it truly is about those who were victimized. It’s not about a headline, it’s not about a trial. It’s about trying to make as much as possible, our victims whole,” says Crump. The victim’s mother we spoke with, who, once again, wished to remain anonymous, echoed that feeling. “This isn’t just about putting a perpetrator behind bars. This is about families healing,” she says.