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Lebanon teacher arrested at school and charged with possession of child pornography

A Lebanese high school teacher who was arrested at work Thursday faces child pornography and other charges after he reportedly began an inappropriate relationship with a male student.

Marcella Cadle, 23, of St. Robert, was charged Friday with assault, possession of child pornography and multiple counts of providing pornographic material to a minor.

She was booked into the Laclede County Jail and is currently being held without bail.

Lebanon Police Chief Jerry Harrison said Lebanon County reached out Thursday. “The schools contacted us when they discovered the problem.”

“We still have a lot of work to do in this case,” he said.

Harrison said the quick arrest was the result of a strong partnership with the county. He urged citizens to come forward if they know of an adult sending unwanted, inappropriate or sexually explicit content to minors.

“If we don’t have the information, we can’t protect our community,” he said.

Cadle began working for the Lebanon District in 2023-24, according to an online database from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Cadle was reportedly assigned to the Lebanon Technology and Career Center, where she taught agricultural science and helped in the nursery.

The district confirmed she was still employed but declined to say how long Cadle worked for the district and whether she was on paid or unpaid leave.

In a statement, the district said it was notified Thursday that an employee had allegedly behaved inappropriately toward a student.

“While we cannot provide specific information regarding individually identifiable student or personnel matters, we can disclose that we immediately involved law enforcement and that we are fully cooperating with their investigation and will continue to cooperate with any future prosecutions,” the district wrote in the Explanation .

“The district’s top priority is ensuring the safety of our students. Maintaining appropriate boundaries with students is a fundamental expectation of all District employees, and any failure to adhere to these expectations and policies will not be tolerated.”

According to court documents used to charge Cadle, she obtained the student's cell phone number through Remind, an online platform through which educators communicated with students and their families.

The student told investigators that Cadle immediately began texting him but did not immediately reveal her identity. He said after a normal exchange, mostly about school things, their messages became strange.

He said she complimented him on his looks and clothes. She then asked the teen to send a photo and add her on Snapchat.

According to court documents, the teen initially sent a photo that showed him smiling and fully clothed. She responded by sending a series of nude photos and a sexually explicit video.

The teen said he was not trying to engage in an inappropriate relationship with an adult. After exchanging offensive texts and images for “three or four days” in late October, he repeatedly tried to avoid her and stop sending her messages, but then she asked him why he was ignoring her.

According to court documents, Cadle touched his arm and called him when he wasn't in class. He said she would start talking to him about school work and then bring up sexual things.

He told investigators that Cadle asked to meet outside of school, but that didn't happen. He said she told him not to tell anyone.

The teenager apparently communicated with his parents, who then contacted the district.

Cadle is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, November 13th at 9:30 a.m.

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