A former Indiana high school teacher is facing two dozen more felony charges, as prosecutors accuse her of arranging group sex with middle and high school boys as young as 13 years old while they allegedly wore Scream masks.
According to new court documents filed in Morgan County obtained by TMZ on Friday, March 28, prosecutors are alleging that Brittany Fortinberry committed crimes against a sixth victim.
County prosecutor Steven P. Sonnega told the outlet on March 27 that Fortinberry, 31, will be charged with 24 additional felonies, bringing her total to 29, including five Level 1 child molestation counts.
Sonnega told TMZ that Fortinberry will be advised of the new charges and potential penalties at a court hearing on April 3. He added that the five Level 1 child molestation charges could carry a penalty of 20 to 40 years in prison for each count.
Fortinberry is also facing 24 counts with Level 4, 5 and 6 offenses, which carry sentences ranging from two-to-12 years to one-to-six years, Sonnega added.
The former teacher’s charges include sexual misconduct with a minor, dissemination of matter harmful to minors, performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, court records show.
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The case’s original court documents show that five victims came forward early in March to allege that Fortinberry had sexually abused them.
One of her alleged young victims said that the boys involved in the incidents “had to wear a Scream mask” and “they would rotate every 15 minutes” in sexual encounters that would go on for hours, according to court documents obtained by Fox 59.
Fortinberry was a substitute teacher for the Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Martinsville and was fired on Jan. 9, 2024, USA Today previously reported.
Before that, she worked at Eminence High School in Morgan County, where she taught several of her alleged victims, court records state, according to WTHR. She left the high school on Aug. 23, 2024, per the outlet.
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In February, her husband, Nicholas Fortinberry, filed for divorce, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE. The couple wed on Nov. 11, 2020, according to TMZ.
Fortinberry had been previously arrested and charged in February with three counts of sexual misconduct, one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor that had previously been filed.
Fortinberry’s trial is scheduled to begin on June 25, court records show.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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