A 28-year-old former Muleshoe teacher who reportedly described as her "soulmate" a 17-year-old student with whom she had a sexual relationship will remain in federal custody while she awaits trial.
U.S. Magistrate Amanda Burch on Wednesday, Sept. 30, granted the government's motion to keep Allegra Fey Mora in jail during the pendency of her case.
She said she found Mora, who pleaded not guilty to a count of enticement of a minor, a danger to the community after hearing clear and convincing evidence that showed Mora blatantly disregarded the confines of her role as a teacher to engage in a sexual relationship with a student that was kept hidden until after he graduated.
"(My decision is) based on the danger of somebody who doesn't recognize the strong
line between an adult and child and what an inappropriate relationship and an appropriate relationship is," she said, adding that her ruling wasn't a commentary on Mora's guilt.
Mora, who appeared before Burch for arraignment and detention hearings, pleaded not guilty to a count of enticement of a minor, which carries a punishment of 10 years to life in prison. A trial for her case has been tentatively set for Dec. 7.
Mora, who is represented by attorney Geoffrey Puryear, has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center after her Sept. 10 arrest on the federal charge. A federal grand jury returned an indictment against her the day before.
Texas Rangers investigate alleged student-teacher relationship
Her charge stems from a Texas Rangers' investigation that began after an allegation surfaced that Mora engaged in a sexual relationship with a student at Muleshoe High school before he graduated.
The Rangers' report was submitted to the court under seal, but portions of it were discussed during the hearing.
The report states that during an interview with the Ranger in June, the teen initially denied the allegations.
However, the teen confirmed the relationship after briefly speaking with his parents.
He said he'd known Mora, who was his speech coach, since he was 15.
He said their relationship became sexual in the fall of 2025, when he was 17, and continued after he graduated.
He told the Ranger he and Mora engaged in sexual acts on campus and on speech trips that Mora chaperoned.
He said he and Mora were careful not to be seen alone together in public and felt that it would be his fault if they were discovered.
Investigators found more than 2,700 calls and texts between the two that confirmed the sexual nature of their relationship, including discussions about their love, sexual desires, sexual acts and the possibility of Mora going to prison if they're caught.
Mora's phone reportedly contained more than 3,100 text messages between her and the student from April to June and hours-long calls between them.
The reports indicated that the two texted and called during school hours while the teen was in class.
However, many of the messages were deleted before May 2026 near the teen's graduation.
The teen also told the Ranger that he and Mora engaged in video phone sex.
The teen told the Ranger that Mora, whose fiancé died of an overdose in 2024, told him that he was her "only hope" to get out of Muleshoe "and the life that she hated," the report states.
The Ranger also spoke with Mora, who initially denied the relationship but reportedly admitted to it after confronted with the teen's admission.
Mora reportedly told the Ranger that she didn't want to go to prison and that she should have waited for the teen to graduate high school before engaging in the sexual relationship but felt that the teen was her "soulmate."
"I knew it was a risk," she reportedly told the Ranger.
Mora was arrested in June and charged with a second-degree felony count of improper relationship between a student and a teacher, which carries a punishment of probation or a prison sentence between two to 20 years.
She was released on a $15,000 bond shortly after, resigned from Muleshoe ISD and had been working delivering food and groceries before she was arrested on her federal charges.
Prosecutor Callie Woolam argued that Mora's alleged statements that she didn't want to go to prison, that she hated Muleshoe and was ready to leave the city to be with the person she believed to be her soulmate were indicators that she was flight risk.
She said Muleshoe's distance from Lubbock was another hurdle for monitoring her.
She said Mora, who likely groomed the teen into the sexual relationship when he was 15, poses a threat to other minors in Muleshoe where her work as a delivery driver could bring her around minors.
Puryear told the court that his client was fully cooperative with investigators after reportedly admitting to the crime.
He said her client, who was released on a $15,000 bond, has been compliant with the conditions of her pre-trial state release.
Alonzo Ramirez, who owns Abuelo Bail Bond, told the court that Mora has complied with every condition he set as part of the contract for the surety bond that released her from custody.
Ramirez said he typically did not work with defendants accused of crimes against children but made an exception for Mora, saying he believed her career as a teacher and the teen's age, made her a "safe bet" for a bond.
However, he said he usually surrenders a bond when he discovers a violation but doesn't monitor his clients other than receiving a weekly mandatory call from them.
Puryear told the court that Mora was willing to do anything and comply with any conditions it sets for her pre-trial release.
Woolam argued that Mora's conduct while on bond on the state charge where likely a reflection of the possibility that her attorney would potentially be able to negotiate a probation deal with the Bailey County prosecutors.
She said Mora now faces a higher minimum punishment if she is convicted because the alleged video phone sex with the teen could be considered displaying child pornography.
Burch, who determined that Mora was not a flight risk, said the nature of the case against her creates a presumption that she was a danger of the community that she has to overcome.
She said the brief period of time that Mora was out on bond on her state charges does not outweigh the evidence that showed that she blatantly disregarded her responsibilities as a teacher when she engaged in the inappropriate relationship with the teen.
Federal Project Safe Schools
Mora's prosecution comes as the U.S. Attorney's Office launched its Project Safe Schools initiative aimed at combating educator misconduct.
“The full force of my office will be brought to bear on teachers, administrators, and school districts who perpetuate a cycle of abuse in our schools,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “No one who abuses a position of authority over a child in the Northern District of Texas will escape scrutiny. As I said before, Project Safe Schools is here to stay, and I’d encourage teachers, administrators and school districts to report any and all abuse that has occurred in the past to my office. If we find out about it on our own, the consequences will be more severe. And to North Texas parents, we will continue to fight for you to put bad actors in prison who abuse kids and create a culture of concealment in our North Texas schools.”
Gabriel Monte is the criminal justice reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas. Have a news tip for him? Email him at gmonte@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Judge denies bond for former Muleshoe teacher in enticement case
