Topline: Dylan Dukes, once honored as Teacher of the Year at Starr Elementary, pleaded guilty after investigators uncovered dozens of letters, gifts, and other unwanted contact with the student.
Published: November 21, 2025 10:28 am ET
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Dylan Dukes (via Anderson County District 3)
ANDERSON COUNTY, SC — A former elementary school teacher has admitted to stalking an 11-year-old girl who once sat in his classroom, a case that investigators say escalated far beyond troubling boundaries.
According to reporting from FOX Carolina, former Starr Elementary School teacher Dylan Robert Dukes, 27, pleaded guilty this week to first-degree harassment after authorities uncovered what they described as an extended pattern of obsessive behavior toward the child.
Prosecutors said that Dukes wrote the girl more than 60 love letters, a detail repeatedly noted in arrest warrants cited by FOX Carolina, and showered her with cards, gift cards, ornaments, pictures, and what authorities called “unwanted hugs” that made the student uncomfortable.
Investigators told WHNS that before summer break, Dukes gave the child a personalized box containing a letter for each day of the week for the entire summer. As FOX Carolina also reported, Dukes then joined the girl’s church after learning she would no longer be his student — a move authorities said was part of the ongoing harassment. WYFF additionally noted that the sheriff’s office said this was one of the actions that prompted the July 8 investigation.
When detectives searched Dukes’ classroom, WHNS and FOX Carolina reported that they found numerous photos of the child hidden in his desk. According to the sheriff’s office, the images were not sexual in nature, but their volume and secrecy heightened investigators’ concerns.
At a plea hearing on Wednesday, FOX Carolina reported that Dukes was sentenced to three years in jail, suspended to five years of probation. Under the sentence, he must attend mental health counseling, permanently surrender his teaching certificate, and comply with a permanent restraining order blocking any contact with the victim.
WYFF reported that Dukes had already been placed on administrative leave by Anderson County School District 3, with Superintendent Kathy D. Hipp saying the district was cooperating fully with law enforcement and offering counseling to affected students and staff. The station also noted that Dukes had been Starr Elementary’s Teacher of the Year for 2023–2024, with the school once highlighting how “Mr. Dukes goes above and beyond for his students.”
Dukes was initially charged with stalking and granted a $50,000 bond, FOX Carolina and WYFF reported, although he had been ordered to avoid any contact with the girl or her family if released. He remains bound by those conditions as part of his probation.
Authorities emphasized throughout the reporting that the photographs and letters did not contain sexual content, but the behavior — described in WHNS reports as persistent and unwanted — nevertheless amounted to a deeply alarming breach of trust in an elementary school classroom.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Elementary Teacher Gets Probation for Stalking 11-Year-Old, Sending Over 60 Love Letters
Dylan Dukes, once honored as Teacher of the Year at Starr Elementary, pleaded guilty after investigators uncovered dozens of letters, gifts, and other unwanted contact with the student.
By Jacob Charles
Published: November 21, 2025 10:28 am ET
Dylan Dukes (via Anderson County District 3)
ANDERSON COUNTY, SC — A former elementary school teacher has admitted to stalking an 11-year-old girl who once sat in his classroom, a case that investigators say escalated far beyond troubling boundaries.
According to reporting from FOX Carolina, former Starr Elementary School teacher Dylan Robert Dukes, 27, pleaded guilty this week to first-degree harassment after authorities uncovered what they described as an extended pattern of obsessive behavior toward the child.
Prosecutors said that Dukes wrote the girl more than 60 love letters, a detail repeatedly noted in arrest warrants cited by FOX Carolina, and showered her with cards, gift cards, ornaments, pictures, and what authorities called “unwanted hugs” that made the student uncomfortable.
Investigators told WHNS that before summer break, Dukes gave the child a personalized box containing a letter for each day of the week for the entire summer. As FOX Carolina also reported, Dukes then joined the girl’s church after learning she would no longer be his student — a move authorities said was part of the ongoing harassment. WYFF additionally noted that the sheriff’s office said this was one of the actions that prompted the July 8 investigation.
When detectives searched Dukes’ classroom, WHNS and FOX Carolina reported that they found numerous photos of the child hidden in his desk. According to the sheriff’s office, the images were not sexual in nature, but their volume and secrecy heightened investigators’ concerns.
At a plea hearing on Wednesday, FOX Carolina reported that Dukes was sentenced to three years in jail, suspended to five years of probation. Under the sentence, he must attend mental health counseling, permanently surrender his teaching certificate, and comply with a permanent restraining order blocking any contact with the victim.
WYFF reported that Dukes had already been placed on administrative leave by Anderson County School District 3, with Superintendent Kathy D. Hipp saying the district was cooperating fully with law enforcement and offering counseling to affected students and staff. The station also noted that Dukes had been Starr Elementary’s Teacher of the Year for 2023–2024, with the school once highlighting how “Mr. Dukes goes above and beyond for his students.”
Dukes was initially charged with stalking and granted a $50,000 bond, FOX Carolina and WYFF reported, although he had been ordered to avoid any contact with the girl or her family if released. He remains bound by those conditions as part of his probation.
Authorities emphasized throughout the reporting that the photographs and letters did not contain sexual content, but the behavior — described in WHNS reports as persistent and unwanted — nevertheless amounted to a deeply alarming breach of trust in an elementary school classroom.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Elementary Teacher Gets Probation for Stalking 11-Year-Old, Sending Over 60 Love Letters
Dylan Dukes, once honored as Teacher of the Year at Starr Elementary, pleaded guilty after investigators uncovered dozens of letters, gifts, and other unwanted contact with the student.
By Jacob Charles
Published: November 21, 2025 10:28 am ET
Dylan Dukes (via Anderson County District 3)
ANDERSON COUNTY, SC — A former elementary school teacher has admitted to stalking an 11-year-old girl who once sat in his classroom, a case that investigators say escalated far beyond troubling boundaries.
According to reporting from FOX Carolina, former Starr Elementary School teacher Dylan Robert Dukes, 27, pleaded guilty this week to first-degree harassment after authorities uncovered what they described as an extended pattern of obsessive behavior toward the child.
Prosecutors said that Dukes wrote the girl more than 60 love letters, a detail repeatedly noted in arrest warrants cited by FOX Carolina, and showered her with cards, gift cards, ornaments, pictures, and what authorities called “unwanted hugs” that made the student uncomfortable.
Investigators told WHNS that before summer break, Dukes gave the child a personalized box containing a letter for each day of the week for the entire summer. As FOX Carolina also reported, Dukes then joined the girl’s church after learning she would no longer be his student — a move authorities said was part of the ongoing harassment. WYFF additionally noted that the sheriff’s office said this was one of the actions that prompted the July 8 investigation.
When detectives searched Dukes’ classroom, WHNS and FOX Carolina reported that they found numerous photos of the child hidden in his desk. According to the sheriff’s office, the images were not sexual in nature, but their volume and secrecy heightened investigators’ concerns.
At a plea hearing on Wednesday, FOX Carolina reported that Dukes was sentenced to three years in jail, suspended to five years of probation. Under the sentence, he must attend mental health counseling, permanently surrender his teaching certificate, and comply with a permanent restraining order blocking any contact with the victim.
WYFF reported that Dukes had already been placed on administrative leave by Anderson County School District 3, with Superintendent Kathy D. Hipp saying the district was cooperating fully with law enforcement and offering counseling to affected students and staff. The station also noted that Dukes had been Starr Elementary’s Teacher of the Year for 2023–2024, with the school once highlighting how “Mr. Dukes goes above and beyond for his students.”
Dukes was initially charged with stalking and granted a $50,000 bond, FOX Carolina and WYFF reported, although he had been ordered to avoid any contact with the girl or her family if released. He remains bound by those conditions as part of his probation.
Authorities emphasized throughout the reporting that the photographs and letters did not contain sexual content, but the behavior — described in WHNS reports as persistent and unwanted — nevertheless amounted to a deeply alarming breach of trust in an elementary school classroom.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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