A former South Carolina educator once celebrated as a “Teacher of the Year” has pleaded guilty to first-degree harassment after writing more than 60 love notes to an 11-year-old student and later showing up at her family’s church.
According to South Carolina news outlet WSAZ, Dylan Robert Dukes, 27, entered the plea on November 14, 2025, admitting to a months-long pattern of obsessive behaviors. Investigators said Dukes’ stalking escalated after the child left his classroom at Starr Elementary School in Anderson County, where he had previously been honored as the 2023-24 Teacher of the Year.
According to case documents, Dukes wrote dozens of handwritten love letters to the girl. In one instance, he packaged letters in a decorated box, each one labeled for a particular day of the week during summer break. Police said he also gave her cards, gift cards, ornaments, and photos, along with hugs she did not want, causing the child to feel increasingly uncomfortable.
The church encounter
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After the young student left the school, the girl’s mother reported that Dukes began appearing at their church after the school year ended. She told the judge her daughter felt unsafe “in places like church, school, and sports, where my child should be comfortable and able to enjoy being a child.”
After the girl’s family reported their concerns, The South Carolina Department of Education and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office opened their investigations. That same month, the state Board of Education issued an emergency suspension of Dukes’ educator certificate, citing an immediate risk to student safety, and authorities took Dukes into custody.
“Given Mr. Dukes’ unrestricted access to our family over the years and the unknown intentions of his obsession, I cannot feel secure knowing that he is not going to put my family in danger,” the girl’s father said in court.
The “non-sexual” photographs
During the investigation, deputies also discovered several non-sexual photographs of the girl in the desk of Dukes’ classroom. Officials said the collection of letters, unwanted contact, and efforts to follow the child into non-school environments demonstrated behavior that authorities believed could have escalated further had they not intervened.
The incident prompted a review of communication policies, teacher-student boundaries, and procedures for monitoring educator behavior outside school hours. While no sexual activity was alleged, prosecutors stressed that the pattern of obsessive contact with a child constituted harassment under state law.
The court sentenced Duke to a three-year suspended prison sentence with five years of probation. As part of the agreement, he must permanently surrender his teaching license, undergo mental-health treatment, and comply with strict no-contact rules.
