Spokane elementary school teacher accused of sexually assaulting student

A 32-year-old Spokane special education teacher is accused of raping and molesting her 10-year-old student over months in at least one of the school’s classrooms.

The teacher also is suspected of showing the boy sexual videos she took of herself.

Investigators arrested Mahayla K. Benavides of Stevens Elementary School early Friday morning at home and booked her into the Spokane County Jail, according to court documents.

During Benavides’ first court appearance Friday afternoon, Spokane County Superior Court Commissioner Julia Pelc found probable cause to hold Benavides, who wore gray Spokane County Jail clothing, on suspicion of first-degree child rape and first-degree child molestation. Pelc set the teacher’s bond at $750,000.

Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Amanda Fry, who requested the set bond amount, said she had “significant community safety concerns” based on the facts of the case. She called Benavides’ actions “highly predatory” and that she used her position of power over the boy to sexually assault him multiple times.

Sweetser Law Office in Spokane, representing the boy and his family, said in a statement it will work to ensure they receive dignity and justice.

“This is an extraordinarily painful and deeply personal situation for the child and the family,” the statement reads. “Their immediate focus is the child’s safety, privacy, and healing. We appreciate the work of law enforcement and the Spokane Police Department’s Special Victims Unit in responding to these allegations and conducting their investigation.”

Spokane police say they started their investigation Feb. 12.

The principal of the school called police to report another student’s family member had repeated statements the child made about possible sex acts with a teacher, Spokane police said in a news release Friday.

Benavides, a 2011 Mt. Spokane High School graduate, was removed from teaching when the district learned of the allegations , said school district spokesman Ryan Lancaster.

“The school district’s swift actions and cooperation played a vital role in this investigation and prevented further harm,” police said in their news release.

Police visited Benavides’ northeast Spokane home Feb. 12. She declined to speak with police and requested a lawyer.

When interviewed by a child forensic interviewer, the boy said he had sex with Benavides, and the acts started around winter break, according to court records. He said the assaults happened “almost every day” – sometimes as much as five times per day. They usually took place inside a classroom adjacent to the main classroom.

The boy said the encounters lasted about five minutes because that was how long their “breaks” lasted.

The boy remembered some of the alleged abuse occurring on a bean bag chair inside the classroom. Police tested a stain on the chair.

He told police that Benavides told him not to tell anyone about the abuse because she could get into a lot of trouble, according to court records.

He also said Benavides gave brownies to him, not the other students.

The boy reported, through a cousin, that the teacher took videos of herself using sex toys that she sent to the student. He also claimed the teacher had an app on her phone suggesting “dares” and “weird stuff.” The boy’s mother learned these details through text messages with the cousin, of which she shared screenshots with police, according to court records.

The boy said Benavides regularly let him use her phone at school.

Videos taken this year and obtained by police show sexually explicit images of Benavides while talking about the boy, according to documents. A series of videos from Jan. 23 appear to show Benavides and the boy having sex in the classroom.

While executing a search warrant on Feb. 13, detectives forced open the front door to Benavides’ home because they said she was not there and did not answer her phone. They seized some of her personal belongings.

Detectives also collected Benavides’ phone and found several videos that show sexual content, consistent with the boy’s descriptions. Police also said Benavides contacted the student on her cellphone after serving search warrants Feb. 12 and 13.

Benavides is scheduled for an arraignment March 17.