Crime & Courts

Irmo High School teacher charged with giving minor THC gummies, ’sexual’ items

News & Observer breaking photo featuring handcuffs, used for arrests
Brianna Nicole Carpenter, 25, was charged with criminal solicitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor on July 26, 2023 by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office.

An Irmo High School teacher has been arrested and charged with giving an underage student THC gummies, vapes and “items of a sexual nature,” according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

Brianna Nicole Carpenter, 25, has been charged with criminal solicitation of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to a statement released by the sheriff’s department.

“The victim’s parents found women’s clothing, sexual items and expensive electronics in the victim’s room,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “The victim later admitted a teacher gave it all to them.”

Warrants accuse Carpenter of giving the male victim “multiple phallus shaped” items between December 1, 2022, and July 9, 2023. Warrants say law enforcement “seized” three of the items from the victim’s room.

“Deputies also found online communication between the minor and Carpenter,” Koon said. A sheriff’s department spokesperson said that they could not confirm if the victim was a student of Carpenter’s.

Carpenter is also accused of giving the victim 70 to 80 edible THC gummies and two THC vape devices, according to warrants.

A LinkedIn page for Brianna Carpenter describes her as an English teacher in the Lexington & Richland School District 5. The page lists her start date as October 2022.

Carpenter is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center. No information has been provided about whether Carpenter will be granted bond.

This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 5:58 PM.

Ted Clifford
The State
Ted Clifford is the statewide accountability reporter at The State Newspaper. Formerly the crime and courts reporter, he has covered the Murdaugh saga, state and federal court, as well as criminal justice and public safety in the Midlands and across South Carolina. He is the recipient of the 2023 award for best beat reporting by the South Carolina Press Association.
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