Grand jury declines to indict ex-Alabama school secretary charged with having sex with student

A grand jury declined to indict a former Alabama school secretary arrested for allegedly having sex with a student two years ago.

The Coffee County grand jury returned a no bill on April 25 against ex-Elba High School secretary Martha Sasser Pope, according to an order issued Thursday by Coffee County District Court Judge Henry T. Reagan II.

Pope, 45, of Elba, was arrested in October 2021 on a charge of school employee engaging in a sex act with a student.

She was placed on administrative leave with pay following her arrest but later resigned.

The Coffee County District Attorney’s Office told WDHN that it would no longer pursue a case against Pope in wake of the grand jury’s decision.