Former Ripon Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault Of Student

A former Ripon High School teacher is facing charges of child enticement and sexual assault of a student by school staff, after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student. Television station W-B-A-Y reports that 28-year-old Samantha Fitzpatrick appeared in court today (Wednesday) via video conferencing. A preliminary hearing is set for January 5th. Ripon police say they received a tip on April 24th from someone who said she had information about an “inappropriate relationship” between a high school teacher and a student. Police spoke with another teacher at the school who told them she noticed the victim was in Fitzpatrick’s classroom a lot. Investigators say they found many sexually-explicit conversations between Fitzpatrick and the student on Fitzpatrick’s phone.