Magnolia School Employee Charged With Sexual Assault Of 17-Year-Old Student; Prosecutors Say Child Was Conceived

MAGNOLIA, Ark. — A 26-year-old Magnolia woman who prosecutors say worked at a 17-year-old boy’s school has been charged with first-degree sexual assault, and the charging document states that a child was conceived as a result.

Donteshia Quantel Torrence was charged by information filed Wednesday in Columbia County Circuit Court by the office of 13th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Rogers. The single count is a Class A felony, punishable by six to 30 years in prison.

The information alleges that on or about Feb. 26, 2025, Torrence “had sexual intercourse with a juvenile male who was 17 years of age.”

“At the time of the intercourse, the Defendant was employed at the juvenile’s school, and the Defendant knew the juvenile was a student there,” the filing states. “A child was conceived as a result of the intercourse.”

The information does not name the school or describe Torrence’s job there.

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Under Arkansas law, sexual intercourse with a person younger than 18 is first-degree sexual assault when the accused is the victim’s guardian, “an employee in the victim’s school or school district, a temporary caretaker, or a person in a position of trust or authority over the victim.” The age of consent in Arkansas is otherwise 16.

Magnolia police arrested Torrence on Aug. 12 on a charge of second-degree sexual assault, according to Columbia County jail booking records. She appeared before Circuit Judge David Talley the following day, where the charge under consideration was still listed as second-degree sexual assault, a Class B felony, and she was released on a $10,000 signature bond.

The prosecutor’s office elevated the charge to first degree when it filed the formal information two months later, citing the school-employee provision of the statute.

An order assessing a public defender user fee was entered in the case Wednesday, indicating Torrence is represented by the public defender’s office. The court file lists an affidavit of probable cause filed the same day, but the document itself has not been posted to the state’s public court records system.

Torrence has not entered a plea, and no arraignment date appears in the court file. A criminal charge is an accusation, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.