Former Wichita teacher extradited from Tulsa to face child sex crimes charges

A former Wichita Public Schools teacher has been extradited to Kansas from Tulsa and faces charges for child sex crimes alleged to have happened while she worked at USD 259.

Christin Nicole Covel, 31, was booked into Sedgwick County Jail just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on suspicion of three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and unlawful sexual relations, records show. The alleged offenses, which happened in Wichita between 2018 and 2019, involved a then 13-year-old, Wichita police said. The incidents were reported to police in December.

Covel was a math teacher at Wichita’s Mead Middle School from 2015 to July 2020. She had been working as a math teacher at Thomas Edison Preparatory Middle & High School in Tulsa when she was arrested last week and booked into Tulsa County Jail.

News Channel 8 in Tulsa reported that the school sent a letter to parents, saying in part: “It is important to know our hiring process includes background checks for employees and that we have not received any reports of inappropriate behavior from Ms. Covel at Edison.”

Sedgwick County court records don’t show any formal charges yet against Covel. She was expected to make a first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon.

This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 10:39 AM.