Preston teacher arrested for alleged affair with student

PRESTON, Okla. (AP) -- A Preston Middle School teacher is accused of having an affair with one of his 14-year-old students for over a year. <br><br>Ronald K. Cunningham, 27, posted $120,000 bail after

Thursday, May 11th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PRESTON, Okla. (AP) -- A Preston Middle School teacher is accused of having an affair with one of his 14-year-old students for over a year.

Ronald K. Cunningham, 27, posted $120,000 bail after being arrested on 12 counts including second-degree rape, oral sodomy and lewd acts or proposals with a minor child.

"It was pretty much an ongoing ordeal," Detective Gary McCollum said of the affair. "Most of the meetings happened during school."

Cunningham, who teaches geography, reading and math, allegedly started talking with the student over the Internet in October 1998. He was called out of his classroom Friday and taken into custody.

The eighth-grade girl's parents heard about the alleged affair from another parent and reported Cunningham to police, McCollum said Wednesday.

Cunningham, who is married and has a child, was arrested on two counts of second-degree rape, which allegedly took place during school. He also is accused of driving the girl to a county road where oral sodomy took place.

McCollum said obscene material was found in Cunningham's car. He said the teacher and student also wrote letters to each other that proposed lewd acts.

Cunningham has taught at Preston for five years. His parents also work for the school district.