A mother used a popular tracking app to track her son, only to discover that he had been sleeping with his teacher.
A popular but controversial app called Life 360 allows you to track the current location and travel routes of selected family members and friends.
In this case, a mother had installed it on her 18-year-old son’s phone.
She tracked the location reported by the app and, to her horror, discovered her son having sex with the teacher in the car.
The mother, who did not wish to be named, took a photo of the car’s license plate and reported it to the police.
According to a report from WSOC, teacher Gabriela Cartaya-Neufeld, 26, was arrested.
Under state law, it is illegal for teachers to have sex with students, regardless of age or consent, unless they are legally married.
Prosecutors said the mother learned something had happened between her son and Cartaya Neufeld over Thanksgiving.
She became even more suspicious when her son didn’t come to sports practice, but she noticed it because she had the app installed.
The mother went to the park to locate her son and found him and the teacher together.
Police said Cartaya-Neufeld was charged with five felony counts of sexual intercourse between a student and a teacher.
She was held in the Mecklenburg County Jail until released on bond.
A judge also ordered her to wear an electronic tag after the student threatened to run away, raising concerns that she might run away with him.
According to reports, there were rumors about the two at the school, and both were questioned by school administrators.
“While we cannot discuss personnel matters, we would like to reassure you that we take this matter seriously,” the school said in a statement. We share your concerns regarding this situation.
“The safety of our students and staff is of paramount importance to all of us, and while this is an alarming situation, it is being managed by law enforcement.”
Life 360 is becoming increasingly popular among parents as a way to monitor their children.
Apps can be programmed to ping users in certain scenarios. This can happen if the phone you are tracking is in a speeding car or leaves a pre-designated area.
Critics of the app have expressed concerns about how it could be used in abusive environments.
Among them are activists working for victims of human trafficking, who say the app was used to track victims.
UNILAD has contacted Life 360 for comment.