Former Graves County Middle School teacher Sadie Flores faces renewed felony prosecution after a grand jury re-indicted her on a grooming charge and added a count of tampering with physical evidence. The 25-year-old was originally arrested on Aug. 7 following an investigation into allegations involving a 14-year-old student under Kentucky’s new grooming statute, which took effect on July 15.
Grand Jury Re-Indictment Follows District Court Dismissal
The legal proceedings against Flores advanced significantly following a Graves County grand jury decision. Prosecutors brought the case before a 12-citizen grand jury on Tuesday after Graves County District Judge Scott Robbins dismissed the initial grooming charge on Sept. 9. During the September preliminary hearing, Judge Robbins concluded that prosecutors failed to establish probable cause or present evidence that sexual conduct occurred, a requirement under the statute.
Following that dismissal, the Graves County Commonwealth Attorney’s office pursued a new indictment. Alongside the original grooming charge, the grand jury added a felony count of tampering with physical evidence. According to the indictment cited by local reporting, investigators allege Flores deleted Snapchat messages exchanged between herself and the student around the time of her initial August arrest.
Defense Criticism of Kentucky’s New Grooming Statute
Flores’ attorney, Angela Troutman, criticized the grand jury’s decision in a public statement following a nearly two-hour hearing in September. Troutman called the re-indictment a “dogged pursuit” and a “disgraceful way to treat a third-generation Kentucky schoolteacher” attempting to support a struggling student. Troutman also argued that the statute creates a “slippery slope” that risks criminalizing innocent behavior for teachers, coaches, and other individuals working with children.
The initial arrest in August marked one of the first known prosecutions under the state law enacted earlier that month. The statute makes it a crime for individuals in positions of authority or special trust to entice, coerce, solicit, or induce a minor to engage in sexual conduct or maintain a secret relationship.
School District Action and Upcoming Court Dates
Graves County Schools terminated Flores’ teaching contract for the school year after district officials stated they substantiated allegations of repeated inappropriate electronic communications with a student. A separate state law requires Kentucky public school teachers to use traceable forms of communication with students in most circumstances.
Flores entered a not-guilty plea during a hearing in Graves Circuit Court following the Tuesday indictments, with court records indicating she bonded out at $5,000. Her next court appearances include a status hearing scheduled for Dec. 18 and a pretrial conference set for Jan. 25, 2027.
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