Teacher fails to appear for protection order hearing

SPRAGUE — A Cheney woman failed to appear Monday for a hearing on a petition for a permanent protection order in Lincoln County Superior Court, according to court records.

Madeline Marie Gregory, also known as Madeline Scoon, 29, was paged by court staff but did not appear or respond. Petitioner Ashley F. Melanson, the mother of the alleged victim, appeared before Judge Adam Walser, who granted a one-year protection order for stalking, according to court records.

The order stems from the allegations that led to criminal charges against Gregory, a Sprague-Lamont High School science teacher and tennis coach. She is charged with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, court records show. A temporary protection order had been issued earlier without a hearing under the state’s antiharassment and stalking statutes, according to court documents.

The petition alleges Gregory engaged in a months-long sexual relationship with the student on and off the school campus, court records show.

The relationship included repeated text messages declaring love, demands he not date others, location tracking and suicide threats when he tried to end the relationship, according to court records.

The order requires her to stay at least 1,000 feet away from the student, his residence in Sprague, the school and his vehicle, and prohibits stalking behavior and electronic monitoring.