18-year-old Jordan Powers’ dreams of true love were smashed when her 41-year-old ex-teacher, and now ex-boyfriend, James Hooker was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting another teenager 14 years ago.
Jordan Powers and James Hooker made headlines last month when they came out about their love affair. The two met when Jordan took James’ high school business class, and although they exchanged a deluge of texts and emails, both claim that they never had sexual, or romantic involvement until Jordan turned 18. When she did, she quit school and moved in with James, who left his family (he has a daughter one year younger than Jordan) and resigned from his teaching job.
Jordan’s distraught mother Tammie Powers spoke out about the relationship, and even started a campaign to make student-teacher dating scenarios of any kind illegal. Tammie also turned in the over 8,000 text messages she found, along with emails, and late night phone call records to an investigation of James’ relationship with Jordan while she was still a minor.
Despite all the family and national drama surrounding their relationship, the couple insisted that their love affair was normal and healthy. Now, Jordan feels betrayed. She told ABCNews.com that when Hooker called her from jail, she told him “we’re done.”
He’s being held in a Modesto, CA jail, where he’s charged with one count of oral copulation with a minor. Jordan says he lied to her about how far the 1998 incident with a 17-year-old student went, and now harbors suspicions that there are other girls.
He told me that he met her online and he hung out with her just as friends and then he went to her house and she came out of the bathroom naked and he only touched her boobs and her legs. He was freaked out so he left and went home. He said nothing else happened, but all of that was a lie.
My heart dropped. I felt betrayed. I just have a gut feeling there are other girls.
How could he lie to me for all these months and look me in the eye and tell me he loves me?” she said. “I don’t know how someone could have such a cold heart.
Jordan also lamented that she lost her senior year over this guy, and all her friends, who she abandoned because they didn’t agree with her decision.
Jordan is now staying with family friends, and has yet to reconcile with her mother Tammie Powers. Even so, Tammie is relieved that James Hooker is behind bars. She told the Modesto Bee newspaper: .She is safe, and I’m glad of that, and I’m elated that he’s in custody,”
