ANDERSON, South Carolina — A teacher in South Carolina has turned herself into law enforcement after a “prolonged and inappropriate relationship” with a teenage boy, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
Nicole Ballew Callaham, 33, is facing charges from multiple agencies.
Deputies said while working as a teacher, Callaham began grooming the boy in his early teen years, though he did not attend the school where she worked.
The misconduct began in 2021 when the boy was 14 years old and continued for at least two years, investigators said.
“The relationship intensified as she reportedly signed the student out of school, transported him to practices, and served as a supervisor for after-school activities,” the sheriff’s office said in a release. “These repeated interactions led to a prolonged pattern of abuse, which was corroborated by search warrants and ongoing cooperation with the victim’s family.”
Callaham surrendered herself to the Anderson County Detention Center on Thursday morning.
The alleged victim in this case, Grant Strickland, spoke in court at Callaham’s bond hearing. Gray Media does not identify victims of sexual abuse unless they choose to come forward.
Strickland said he wants to speak out to help others.
“All I really want the public to know is that that was a traumatic event. I’m here to fight and I’m not going to back down,” Strickland said. “I think more awareness needs to be brought to things like this. And just because I’m a man doesn’t mean that it should be shunned away. Because I was a child.”
Strickland decided to come forward as an 18-year-old after time spent processing the trauma he said he experienced.
“I would love to bring more awareness to show that this happens, and it happens a lot, and it’s not just to women, it’s to men, too, and it happens to young children, and it’s gotta stop,” Strickland said.
He added, “I would never want somebody to go through what I went through, because I don’t really think that most people would be showing up to survive it. I almost didn’t.”
A detective also read a letter in court from Strickland’s mother, which said that their family first met Callaham while she was serving as the director of musical theater productions for a play.
“Looking back, it sickens me knowing Nicki manipulated our son and our family,” she wrote. “She saw our son’s innocence and that he was very easily manipulated.”
WHNS reached out to Anderson District 5 for comment on the arrest. A spokesperson said:
“Ms. Callaham was a teacher at Homeland Park Primary from 2017 until she resigned on May 21st.”
Deputies said the alleged conduct also extended into the Greenville Police Department’s jurisdiction as the teen attended school in Greenville.
Arrest warrants from the Greenville Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Office state that Callaham allegedly provided the teen with marijuana, nicotine and alcohol and engaged in sexual intercourse at a Greenville hotel and a downtown Greenville parking garage.
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office charged Callaham with three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The Greenville Police Department charged Callaham with eight counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and four counts of unlawful conduct toward a child.
Officers said the investigation is ongoing.
The Clemson City Police Department is also conducting a parallel investigation.
Callaham’s defense attorney said she has cooperated with law enforcement and they “look forward to a day in court.”
The attorney said Callaham is currently pregnant, also has a young child, and has no criminal history.
The judge set her bond at $40,000 and ordered her not to have contact with Strickland’s family.
Officials said Callaham was taken to the Greenville County Detention Center on Friday. A bond hearing has been scheduled for July 14 at 10 a.m.
By AMANDA SHAW and EMILY VAN DE RIET/WHN Fox News
