WILMINGTON, D.E. (KYW Newsradio) — A former school principal and teacher in Delaware has pleaded guilty to raping a child over the course of four years.
Tasha Purnell, 41, formerly known as Tasha Oliver, is charged with two counts of rape and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, for allegedly sexually assaulting a child under the age of 16 between 2010 and 2014.
At the time, Purnell was a teacher at Stanton Middle School in Wilmington. She was later hired as an administrator at A.I. Du Pont Middle School in 2020.
When the allegations first surfaced in 2023, Purnell was put on administrative leave, then fired in September 2024 when she was arrested.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings called Purnell’s actions “absolutely unthinkable.”
She is expected to be sentenced in August.