BEAUFORT — A South Carolina elementary school teacher who showered an 11-year-old former student with over 60 “love letters,” gifts and unwanted hugs pleaded guilty to harassment — but will only serve probation.
According to WSAZ, FOX Carolina and WYFF4, Dylan Robert Dukes, 27, admitted in court that he repeatedly reached out to the girl after she left his class at Starr Elementary School. Deputies said he gave her unwanted hugs, pictures and handwritten notes — more than 60 in all — including letters for each day of the week during summer break.
The outlets reported that investigators later found numerous photos of the child tucked inside his classroom desk, though authorities said none were sexual in nature.
The girl’s mother told the court in July 2024 that Dukes’ behavior upended places where her daughter should have felt safe. “My child has had to endure moments of uncomfortability in places like church, school and sports, where my child should be comfortable and able to enjoy being a child,” the mother said, per HuffPost.
“He started attending our church,” she said, per the outlet. “I now realize that this access to my child had continued to grow his obsession.”
The investigation began in July 2024, after the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office was notified of Dukes’ repeated contact with the child. The sheriff said detectives believed they interrupted the situation before it escalated, noting it was “fortunate that this is the one and only charge” and that the child had feared the behavior could become physical, per the outlets.
Dukes was charged with stalking and released on a $50,000 surety bond, according to WYFF4 and HuffPost. He was placed on administrative leave from Starr Elementary, where he had recently been named the school’s 2023–2024 Teacher of the Year.
At a plea hearing last week, Dukes pleaded guilty to first-degree harassment and was sentenced to three years incarceration, suspended to five years of probation, according to WSAZ, FOX Carolina and WYFF4. The sentence requires him to attend mental-health counseling, surrender his teaching certificate and comply with a permanent restraining order that bars contact with the girl or her family.
Kathy D. Hipp, superintendent of Anderson County School District 3, said in a statement obtained by WYFF4 that the district is cooperating fully with investigators and has made counseling resources available to students and staff.
By CHRISTINA COULTER/People
