Ex-Hilton Head teacher’s arrest involves alleged sexual Snapchat exchange with minor
A former art teacher at multiple Montessori schools in the Hilton Head Island area is accused of soliciting a 17-year-old boy for sex via Snapchat and sending him an obscene video of herself, according to her arrest warrants.
The alleged crime occurred about eight months after the end of her contract at her last known teaching job.
Kalen Faye Wolfe, 47, of Hilton Head, was arrested Friday on charges of criminal solicitation of a minor and procuring or promoting obscenity, both of which are felonies, according to inmate records. Beaufort County police declined to share the specifics of her case on Tuesday.
Wolfe’s arrest warrants allege she was messaging a 17-year-old boy on Snapchat in late March to coordinate “a time and place to meet to engage in various sexual activities.” The warrants also claim Wolfe sent the minor a video of her breasts “being sexually stimulated by being fondled.”
“The intent of Wolfe’s communication was to persuade and entice the victim to engage in sexual activity with her,” the warrants say, attempting to illustrate the type of sexual intent cited in South Carolina law’s definition of criminal solicitation of a minor.
Police say the alleged crime is corroborated by Snapchat records and a “screen recorded video from the victim,” the warrants read, adding that Wolfe allegedly sent the messages between March 24 and March 27.
Wolfe was an art teacher at May River Montessori in Old Town Bluffton for several years, according to her former biography on the school’s website. She served as a part-time substitute teacher for the Beaufort County School District from 2008 to 2016, district spokesperson Candace Bruder said.
Wolfe also worked at Sea Pines Montessori Academy prior to its 2025 merger with Hilton Head Preparatory School. Her contract was not renewed after July 2021, according to HHPS’ Head of School Paul Horgan, who said he did not know when Wolfe’s employment at the academy began because of multiple changes in leadership in the last five years.
Wolfe’s contract with May River Montessori ended July 31, 2025, and there has been “no further communication” between her and the school since then, according to Catherine Donaldson, chair of the school’s board of trustees. Donaldson said the school had no further comment as of Tuesday.
It was unclear as of Wednesday afternoon if the victim in the alleged crime was one of Wolfe’s former students. May River Montessori serves children from 18 months to 12 years old, and students at Sea Pines Montessori Academy range from 15 months to third grade, according to the school’s websites.
Wolfe was released from the Beaufort County jail the same day as her arrest on cash bonds totaling $40,000, judicial records show.
Montessori schools depart from formal teaching methods by prioritizing hands-on education, mixed-age classrooms and student-led learning. There are about a half-dozen Montessori schools in Beaufort County, most of which are private.
Beaufort County police still investigating
The investigation into Wolfe began March 27, when a witness reported the alleged crime to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, spokesperson Staff Sgt. Robert Herlong previously said. Wolfe’s arrest warrants were issued Thursday, he added, and she turned herself in the next day.
Herlong on Tuesday declined to elaborate on the nature of the allegations. He said police were still determining whether the alleged crime is connected to Wolfe’s status as an educator, and whether any of her students were affected.
“We only have one victim at this point, but there’s always a possibility of more,” Herlong told The Island Packet on Tuesday. “So we’re just asking for anybody that has any more information if they could share it.”
A request for the incident report from the sheriff’s office yielded only the front page, which confirmed the case was opened March 27.
Who is Kalen Wolfe?
Wolfe’s biography on May River Montessori’s website, which had been removed as of Tuesday but was accessible through an online archive dated May 2, 2025, said Wolfe was entering her fourth year of teaching at the school, “bringing a wealth of experience in drama and music for toddlers through secondary students.”
The archived bio went on to say Wolfe was raised in New England and attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. She has “extensive experience as a camp director in South Carolina and New Hampshire,” the bio said.
What do the charges mean?
Under South Carolina law, criminal solicitation of a minor involves an adult contacting a minor “with the intent of persuading ... or coercing” the child to participate in a sexual activity or violent crime. It’s punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a $5,000 fine, or both.
If the victim in a case of criminal solicitation of a minor is at least 16 years old, the defendant can use the victim’s consent as a defense in court, according to S.C. criminal statutes.
Wolfe’s other charge, procuring or promoting obscenity, is defined as a suspect allegedly disseminating obscene material through writing, images, digital files or performances that lack “serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.” A conviction can yield up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 8:59 AM.
