News story dated Apr 13, 2007 -
Dawn Marie Welter, 38, a math teacher at Tenino High School, has been charged with three counts of communication with a 16-year-old girl for immoral purposes, a gross misdemeanor.
She is being investigated for alleged sexual activity with a 16-year-old female student.
Police said they searched the girl’s computer and found e-mails she received from Welter. T he e-mails contained details about a sexual encounter the teacher allegedly had with the student at a motel in Pacific County, as well as sexually explicit references between Welter and the student regarding their future relationship together, according to Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Melanie DeLeone.From King5: Their investigation unearthed MySpace.com messages, emails and phone calls that indicated Welter and the female student have been engaged in an alleged relationship since January. The school district put her on paid leave and she has until the weekend to turn herself in.
CHARGED: Apr 25 - Welter was charged Tuesday with second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor for allegedly spending the night with the girl at a motel.
The girl told a sheriff's deputy that they traveled to Portland, Ore., and then up the coast to stay the night at Chens Motel on U.S. 101 in South Bend, authorities said.
PLEA and SENTENCING: Aug 13 - Welter entered, one paper reports, an ( Alford plea ) another paper says ( Guilty Plea) to two gross misdemeanors. She was sentenced to 60 days in jail to be completed on work release, and two years' probation. The gross misdemeanors are one count each of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes and sexual misconduct with a minor.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dismissed two counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. That charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.
As part of Welter’s sentence, she must register as a sex offender for 10 years. She lost her teaching certificate.
Aug 14 - The Olympian reports that she entered a guilty plea. The plea deal, they say, recommended a 30-day jail sentence, but the judge ordered that she spend 60 days in jail.
Aug 15 - Her attorney called it "horseplay that became sexual."
"We really don't have a sexual relationship but an attraction between two people over the age of consent," Hill said. "My client clearly put herself in a bad situation but ultimately did some of the right things by not allowing a relationship."Then, why was it illegal???
