High school teacher arrested for inappropriately texting student, SC police say
A teacher at a high school in South Carolina was arrested Wednesday for sending inappropriate text messages to a student, according to the Sumter Police Department.
Torey A. Shannon, a 42-year-old Sumter resident, was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, police said in a news release.
Shannon is a teacher at Sumter High School, police told The State. He’s a Career & Technology teacher, according to the school’s website.
Shannon surrendered to police Wednesday morning and was booked at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, according to the release.
Bond was set at $2,500 and has been posted, Sumter County court records. Shannon is scheduled to return to court June 6, according to judicial records.
On April 29, officers began investigating after school officials learned of allegations of inappropriate comments made by a teacher toward a student, according to the release.
The text messages were sexual in nature, police told The State.
Police said they are still investigating to determine if any sex crimes occurred.
School officials also told police that Shannon was being blackmailed by a friend of the victim to keep their silence, according to the release.
The friend, also a Sumter High student, currently has not been charged with any crimes, but police are continuing to investigate.
Any other students who received inappropriate texts, or were victims of any other crimes, are encouraged to call police at 803-436-2700.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 2:51 PM with the headline "High school teacher arrested for inappropriately texting student, SC police say."
