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Warrant: Teacher accused of sex with student sent text saying 'you better keep your mouth shut about this'

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The St. Augustine High School teacher accused of sexual activity with a student texted a teen victim "You better keep your mouth shut about this," according to a warrant affidavit obtained by Action News Jax.

Virginia Hinckley, 26, was arrested last month and on a charge of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors. She was released on $10,000 bond. When the investigation began in October, Hinckley was suspended with pay by the St. Johns County School District.

Hinckley is reportedly pregnant, according to social media posts by a family member.

According to the warrant affidavit, rumors of a sexual relationship with a student began during the 2014-2015 school year, and Hinckley told authorities that she had a "bubbly" personality and that students "misconstrued" this was flirtatious. According to the affidavit, Hinckley was "engaging in sexual relations" with a total of three male students.

Investigators interviewed one of the teen victims, who said he'd asked for the teacher's number in August, a few days after school began. Initially, the report said, Hinckley declined to give him the number, but gave it to him the next day with instructions not to tell anyone. After the exchange, the report said, Hinckley sent the teen explicit images. The teen later said he lost the phone.

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The victim said that, during the month of August, he went to Hinckley's classroom around 4 p.m. on a Tuesday, where they began kissing one another. In the report, Hinckley is said to have asked the victim if he wanted to go somewhere private, so they went to Treaty Park in St. Augustine, a collection of four lighted fields that is home to an adult softball league.

The report said Hinckley and the teen had oral sex and unprotected sex in the backseat of her SUV. Afterwards, the report said, Hinckley sent the teen a text saying "You better keep your mouth shut about this."

On Oct. 28, authorities obtained warrants to search Hinckley's cell phone, which confirmed digital communication between Hinckley and the victim, including two calls from the victim between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Aug. 18.

A warrant was also issued for Hinckley's car, which was seized for evidence.

A spokesperson for the school district said based on Hinckley's charge and the completion of the SJSO investigation, the superintendent will be recommending to the school board at its Dec. 8 meeting that she be suspended without pay. Beyond that, the school district said it will go through the legal process and follow that closely.

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