Greenback teacher facing felony

HAYLEY HARMON-6 News Anchor/Reporter

Angela Masingo (Source: Facebook) MARYVILLE (WATE) - The Greenback School teacher facing felony child sex charges appeared in court Friday in Blount County.

Angela Gaye Masingo, 39, is charged with solicitation of aggravated statutory rape and solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Deputies with the Blount County Sheriff's Office and the Loudon County Sheriff's Office say Masingo sent inappropriate Facebook messages to a student from another school.

Masingo made an appearance in Blount County court Friday to face the charges.

Her attorney, Joe Costner, asked the judge to reschedule Masingo's court date to May 3, which was approved.

Costner told 6 News he hopes to have a tentative agreement in place before then, and that the investigation into these charges is still currently underway.

The arrest warrant for Masingo states she used Facebook to invite a juvenile from another school to engage in sexual activity.

Deputies also say she used a cell phone to show the teen sexually explicit material.

Masingo is on suspension without pay from Greenback School.

She'd been with the Loudon County School System since 1995.

Loudon County Schools Director Jason Vance said she has never been accused of any serious misconduct.

A family member of the teen involved was at the arraignment Friday, but declined to comment, saying detectives asked her not to as the investigation continues.

Masingo's father is also a teacher at Greenback.

Family members of Masingo's did not wish to comment, but just said "there are always two sides to every story."

Greenback teacher’s hearing reset to May 3

By Matthew Stewart thedailytimes.com

A preliminary hearing for a Greenback School teacher accused of sending inappropriate messages to a male high-schooler has been tentatively reset for May 3.

Angela Gaye Masingo, 39, Lenoir City, was arrested March 8 on charges of solicitation of aggravated statutory rape and solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor. She is free on bonds totaling $80,000.

During Friday’s preliminary hearing, Blount County Assistant District Attorney Clinton Frazier and Maryville attorney Joe Costner, who is representing Masingo, advised Blount County General Sessions Court Judge Michael A. Gallegos that they’d reached an agreement to reset the hearing. Gallegos reset the hearing for 9 a.m. May 3.

The teacher was charged after it was discovered she was sending inappropriate messages to a juvenile over Facebook, according to Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong and Loudon County Sheriff Tim Guider in a news release.

The Blount County Sheriff’s Office H.E.A.T. (Hi-tech Evidence and Technology) Unit and Loudon County Sheriff’s Office, as part of its Internet Crimes Against Children Tennessee Task Force (ICAC), worked a joint investigation on Masingo, allegedly discovering that Masingo was sending inappropriate messages by way of Facebook to a male student at another high school.

Authorities have not released the age of the male student involved, or identified which high school he attends. It was also not immediately known how long Masingo had allegedly been conversing with the student via Facebook.

Masingo is a Response to Intervention (RTI) teacher, according to the Greenback School website. RTI teachers provide early, systematic assistance to students who are having difficulty learning, though the website did not identify what subject or subjects Masingo teaches.

The teacher’s father, Jerry Masingo, is a Greenback High School math instructor and assistant administrator, according to the school’s website. He previously served as the school’s principal.