Former Pasco teacher accused of sending inappropriate messages to students

A Pasco teacher allegedly groomed a female student and sent inappropriate messages to others, according to court documents.

Shakell Walker, 34, worked at McLoughlin Middle School through February 2023. It’s not clear when he started at the school, but according to state records he’d been there since at least 2018.

He was placed on administrative leave in February 2023 after a call from a concerned parent prompted an investigation.

He didn’t return to work for the 2023-24 school year, said Anna Tensmeyer, the Pasco School District’s director of public affairs.

Walker was charged in May and pleaded innocent to two counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

He’s been released on his own recognizance, but ordered to have no contact with two teens to whom he allegedly sent inappropriate messages.

“If true, these allegations represent a breach of our trust and a disappointing departure from our standards for all district employees,” Tensmeyer said in a statement. “The safety of our students is the highest priority of our school and district staff.”

Pasco police began investigating Walker after one of his former students told a neighbor that he had groomed her, according to court documents.

Court documents are unclear whether the teen was still a student when Walker started contacting her through social media. She told police the conversations continued while she was in high school.

He allegedly provided alcohol to the teen and coerced her into sexual activity while she was intoxicated, the documents said.

Prosecutors have not filed charges related to this behavior, but they may later, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Astley said as part of an affidavit filed in Franklin County Superior Court.

As police investigated they discovered two other teens who were former students who Walker contacted using social media.

One male student reported taking a selfie in a bathroom mirror that showed his bare chest, neck and face.

“The defendant replied to the photograph with something along the lines of, ‘Damn, where is my invite?’ or ‘Dang bro, you’re not going to invite me into the shower with you?’ ” according to the court documents.

The school district did investigate the statements in 2022, but the teen did not tell them about the photo at the time, court documents said.

Pasco Detective Julie Lee interviewed a number of other young men in connection with the case. Another of the defendant’s former students reported that Walker replied to a social media photo by saying, “I thought I was your Valentine.”

The teen thought the comment was weird but didn’t address it directly.

Walker told Lee that he talked with about six boys who were former students and he played online games with some of them. He refused to answer any questions about whether he provided alcohol or had sexual contact with former students.