A former Bonnyville elementary school teacher has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual offences involving minors.
According to court information, Janelle Arnold, who had been employed at Duclos School, a Kindergarten to Grade 4 school within Northern Lights Public Schools, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual interference. She received a four-year sentence on one count and a two year sentence on the second count for a total of six years. She also pleaded guilty to eight counts of failing to comply with a release order.
The charges follow from an investigation that began in September 2024, when Bonnyville RCMP charged Arnold with sexual assault and sexual interference. She was released by a Justice of the Peace under a release order with several conditions.
The case grew the following month, on October 26, 2024 she was re-arrested in Wainwright and charged with child luring after RCMP received information from a concerned family member of a youth. “This youth has been speaking to an unknown female, on a messaging application, who was attempting to lure the youth and his friends to her hotel room,” RCMP said in an October 28, 2024 release.
Arnold was again charged in November 2024, with failing to comply with a release order and was remanded into custody. “Following the original arrest of Janelle Arnold, Bonnyville RCMP discovered that Janelle has contacted two youth from New Zealand via social media. Janelle then sent money and gifts to the youths” RCMP stated in a November 8, 2024 release.
A publication ban remains in place regarding the court proceedings.
