Phoenix, ARIZONA

“The victim is not a lucky guy,” the prosecutor said. “He was manipulated by a teacher he should have been able to trust.”

“You’re 16 years old. I could go to (expletive) jail,” Mally said in a police-recorded telephone call to the 16-year-old student. Actually, she's going to prison.

May 2, 2007 - Jennifer Mally, 26, an English teacher and cheerleading coach at Paradise Valley High School, was arrested on 29 counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

The parents of a 16-year-old male student contacted the school and school officials then called police. Police were told that it had been an ongoing situation that began in October.

TT - Not only do these teachers betray the trust of their students, they pit the students against parents, and count on the students taking their side.It's the silence those sexually exploiting children count on.

May 4 - During a worried and confrontational telephone call with a 16-year-old boy, Paradise Valley High School English teacher Jennifer Mally expressed concern she might be arrested and asked him to promise not to reveal the nature of their relationship to anyone, court documents revealed Thursday. Police recorded the phone call.

PREVIOUS LETTER OF REPRIMAND May 8 - A letter of reprimand was placed in Mally's file last year, said Judi Willis, public relations officer for the Paradise Valley Unified School District, where the high school is located."It was about inappropriate communications," said Willis, who added that the communications were not of a sexual nature.

Violating district policy, Mally was reprimanded for sending text messages to a student regarding a homework assignment and phoning the same student regarding attendance at a dance recital. Willis said the district restricts the ways a teacher may communicate with a student to prevent inappropriate conversations. Teachers must notify parents in writing of the types of communication they expect to share with students, and the form of communication.

Mally is due in court on Friday.

INDICTED May 11 - Mally was indicted, charged with 17 counts of sexual conduct with a minor. Between October 2006 and April 2007, Mally allegedly persistently engaged in a relationship with a male student at her home, the victim's home and in her car. Mally will be arraigned on May 21.

NEW LAWYER May 19 - Mally has a new attorney who was a former U.S. Attorney for Arizona in the Reagan administration. TT - Google search reveals he was also a judge.

NOT GUILTY PLEA May 22 - Mally pleaded not guilty. Her next court date will be July 12.

[TT - Fashion conscious reporter revealed his acute sensitivity.

Tall, thin and blue-eyed, Mally was dressed in black slacks and a black, short-sleeved blouse decorated with red and white lipsticks. She wore a watch on her left wrist, a wedding ring, two other rings on her right hand, and a bracelet.

What? No earrings??!!!

SECOND STUDENT May 29 - The Arizona Republic got a copy of the police report and is reporting that a second student alleges he had sex with Mally. The second student was 18, above the age of consent. Other details emerged.

Police were notified by the assistant principal. Detectives interviewed the teenager and took him downtown for more questioning. Investigating Detective Duane Armitage decided to have the 16-year-old call her in what he calls a "confrontation call," which was taped. The boy told Mally that he was worried about questions the school was asking him about her. She attempted to persuade him to lie about the situation.

TRIAL SCHEDULED July 16 - Mally's trial is scheduled for Oct. 16. Mally earlier had been suspended by the high school because of rumors circulating about her sexual activities with students. AZ Central reports that she had been reprimanded previously for text-messaging students, which violates policy of the Paradise Valley Unified School District.

TRIAL DELAYED Oct 5 - The trial has been rescheduled to April. The delay was caused by an overloaded prosecution schedule.

MOVING TO TRIAL Nov 9 - Malley and her legal team attended a settlement conference. Mally's attorney told 12 News that the defense is moving forward with her trial. The former English teacher is charged with 17 counts of sexual conduct with a minor. At the time, she was 25 years old. The student was 15 years old.

CHEERLEADER MAY TESTIFY Nov 30 - A cheerleader who may be a possible witness says she doesn't know if Mally and the boy had sex. But she says the teenager should also face criminal charges for threatening and harassing Mally.

RELEASE CONDITIONS MODIFIED Dec 3 - A judge modified the release conditions for Mally. One of the new conditions will allow Mally go to a shopping mall, movie theater or other entertainment location where youths may be present, as long as she is accompanied by a responsible adult.

It prompted a reader response at the news site: "So would someone please do me a favor and remind us exactly what a "Responsible Adult" is? Oh wait. It's probably not going to be a teacher that sleeps with her students! Sheesh. Why is she not in jail?"

TRIAL SCHEDULED Dec 16 - Mally's trial is scheduled for April, 2008. (Source: East Valley Tribune database)

GUILTY PLEA March 14, 2008 - Mally pleaded guilty to three felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor. She will have to register as a sex offender She appeared in court with her husband. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9.

Her attorney said she changed her plea because "she needs to go on with her life." Mally surrendered her teaching certificate in February. [ TT -See Smiling picture of her at the story.]

PLEA AGREEMENT DETAILS March 25 - The Arizona Republic states that part of the plea agreement is that Mally gave up her teaching certificate permanently. She will have to register as a sex offender. She also is required to pay $1,650 restitution for the victim's counseling costs and could be ordered to pay fines up to $150,000 per count. [TT - that's something we would dearly love to see.]

SENTENCED May 9 - Mally was sentenced to six months in prison (for each count, to run concurrently) in "acourtroom packed with media and about two dozen students, three of whom spoke in favor of the former cheer coach." Her husband also testified on her behalf.

Her husband, Andrew Mally, spoke in support of his wife, saying he’s been punished himself. He described his wife as the most selfless person he has ever known.

“Knowing your wife has been arrested for having sex with a minor is a hard pill to swallow,” he said. “And comforting someone who has just broken your heart is tough.”

Mally apologized - to her supporters. "I’m very, very sorry. I hurt all of these people in this room.” Neither the victim nor his family attended.
Mally will be a registered sex offender.
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CERTIFICATE(S) REVOKED August 25, 2008 - The Arizona State Board of Education voted to revoke the teaching certificates of Jennifer Mally. (pg 3)