Princeton, W.Va. (Hinton News) — On Thursday, February 19, Corporal Brooks and Trooper Kennedy arrested Katelyn Lester, 36, of Lerona, WV, who is employed as a teacher at Princeton Senior High School, following a lengthy investigation that began in November 2025.
On November 20, 2025, Corporal Brooks initiated an investigation into allegations that Ms. Lester fraudulently listed herself on a student’s emergency contact information, thereby granting herself unauthorized permission to sign the juvenile out of school. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that Ms. Lester used the falsified documentation to sign the student out of school on multiple occasions. Additionally, Ms. Lester allegedly forged the student’s mother’s signature on a permission slip for an out-of-state field trip.
On Thursday, February 19, Ms. Lester was arrested and charged with four counts of Forgery and Uttering, as well as four counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. She was arraigned at Mercer County Magistrate Court and released on bond.
The investigation is ongoing.
