An Indiana school secretary facing five felony child seduction charges has seen her case thrown into legal jeopardy after a police interrogation video surfaced publicly — and the lead prosecutor says his office had nothing to do with releasing it.
Alicia Hughes, 31, serves as an attendance secretary at Union City Junior-Senior High School, part of the Randolph Eastern School Corporation in Union City, Indiana.
Her arrest stems from a Valentine’s Day incident in which her husband allegedly discovered her with an 18-year-old student from the school district and confronted the pair.
Hughes was allegedly battered during the confrontation with her husband.
That altercation triggered a battery call to police, which set the broader investigation into motion.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office is separately investigating the battery incident involving Hughes’ husband.
While working the battery case, Union City Police Department detectives uncovered evidence that Hughes had also been engaged in a sexual relationship with a different student — a 17-year-old — on at least five separate occasions.
Court documents show the relationship with the 17-year-old began in September 2025, when the student called the school to report himself absent.
Hughes, serving as the attendance secretary that day, sent the student a text message from her personal cell phone, accusing him of not actually being sick.
From there, according to court documents, the communications shifted in nature, eventually leading to in-person meetings and sexual encounters at multiple locations off school property.
Hughes was arrested and booked at the Randolph County Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond, facing five counts of child seduction, each classified as a Level 5 felony under Indiana law.
During a recorded police interrogation, Hughes discussed with an officer the allegations involving the 18-year-old student, stating she had slept with him three times.
She broke down in tears during the questioning.
When officers asked about potential sexual encounters with other students, Hughes halted the conversation. “I’ll need my lawyer here at this point,” she said, before being placed under arrest.
The release of that interrogation video to media has now become a flashpoint.
Randolph County Prosecutor David Daly publicly distanced his office from the disclosure.
“The recent release of the video interview of Ms. Hughes did not come from my office, and my office did not authorize, approve or have anything to do with its release,” Daly told the Muncie Star Press.
Daly further stated that at the time the video began circulating in media, his office had not yet received or accessed a copy of the interview.
He noted a dual commitment — pursuing justice for victims while also protecting Hughes’ constitutional right to a fair trial and avoiding prejudicing the jury pool.
The Union City Police Department pushed back, defending the decision to release the footage.
Mark Ater, the department’s director of public safety, stated that the release was both lawful and deliberate.
“Let me be clear, the police department did not seek, nor was it required to seek, approval from the prosecutor’s office before releasing this brief excerpt,” Ater said in a formal statement.
Ater added that the clip contained no admission of criminal conduct involving a minor.
“The portion disclosed contained no admission of criminal conduction,” he said, noting that Hughes did not admit in the video to having sex with a minor. “The department exercised restraint and ensured no protected information was disclosed,” Ater said.
Hughes was suspended from her position at the Randolph Eastern School Corporation following her arrest.
Superintendent Neal Adams confirmed she had been removed from all duties with students pending the outcome of the legal process.
“RESC takes all allegations involving students extremely seriously,” Adams stated.
“Upon becoming aware of concerns, the corporation fully cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do so as the investigation proceeds.”
Her trial is scheduled for June 15.
If convicted on all five counts, Hughes faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine per charge, totaling potential penalties of 30 years behind bars and $50,000 in fines.
