Former Kennewick Teacher Pleads Not Guilty To New Charges in Sex Crimes Case

43-year-old Tonie Reibolt is facing a new charge in the ongoing sex investigation about her behavior with current and former Kennewick middle school students.

According to KNDU-TV, Wednesday in Benton County Superior Court, she plead not guilty to a charge of third degree child rape. This new allegation came about after more information was revealed by a teen who told investigators about his interactions with her.

Reibolt came under investigation last June, when the daughter of a police detective said explicit pictures of a woman, later said to be Reibolt, had been shared with teens via Snapchat.  Reibolt is also facing three counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

The news first broke the last week of June, when authorities revealed they began to investigate the allegations June 15th.  It was learned the now former P.E. teacher and educator at Horse Heaven Hills Middle school had allegedly shared the pictures with teens, some of them former students of hers. School officials also investigated after reports of videos of a district employee engaged in sex acts, and these were also reportedly shared.