Alamagordo, NEW MEXICO

Random drug test policy criticized as inadequate.

August 1, 2008 - Parents criticized a proposed random drug test policy for students. For one, the random tests would only be administered to drivers with school parking permits and those enrolled in sports programs. One parent who is a testing administrator for the Holloman Air Force Base drug program found fault with the policy.

"As a parent I want a 100 percent testing" policy, Shipman said. "I think my daughter needs to be part of the program."

Shipman said she found a lot of loopholes in the proposed policy. She had a copy of the document with eight of the 12 pages marked significantly in red.

Shipman's daughter is not in sports or driving, so she wouldn't be tested.

"But I also want her to know that just because she doesn't drive and doesn't participate in sports its not okay to do drugs," Shipman said.

Another parents complained that those who do competitive sports are less likely to be doing drugs. And, too, as another parent pointed out, the policy doesn't address what to do with students who are caught with drugs or who have vehicles with drugs in them.

Turlock, CALIFORNIA

"Pervert teachers try to arrange threesome with 16-year-old student."
That's what the headline would say if this was in a U.K. newspaper.

July 31, 2008 - Two Turlock Christian School teachers will face felony charges after being accused of trying to arrange group sex with a 16-year-old female student by sending her sexually explicit text messages and photo.

Justin Northcutt, 27, and his wife, Amy Northcutt, 26 -- were both arrested June 2 and charged with one felony count of "harmful matter sent with intent of seduction of a minor. " Authorities say relatives of the student caught on before anything physical happened.

Amy Northcutt was the girl's high school historyteacher. Justin Northcutt was a substitute teacher at Turlock Christian's junior high and high schools. The Northcutts are scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 3.

NOT GUILTY PLEAS October 9 - The Norcutts pleaded not guilty. Both were charged with one felony count of "harmful matter sent with intent of seduction of a minor." They are due to return to court December 17.

Alexandria, VIRGINIA

Another one of those mandated-reporters-who-don't story.
Slap on wrist fine of $500 for admitted failure to report sexual abuse of a 5-year-old girl.

June 18, 2008 - Abdalla Al-Shabnan, the director of the Islamic Saudi Academy, a private school in Alexandria, VA, that is funded by the Saudi government, was arrested for failing to report an allegation of child abuse.

Police say that Al-Shabnan, didn't believe a five-year-old girl when the student told him her father was sexually abusing her.

According to court papers, Abdalla Al Shabnan did not report the incident, instead he allegedly told told the girl's parents to seek counseling for her.

Washington Post (June 17) Shabnan was also charged with obstruction of justice.
Police said in court papers that Al-Shabnan ordered a written report about the girl's complaint, which had been prepared by other school officials, to be deleted from a school computer.
------------
No information on how the police did find out about the girl or what happened to her.

GUILTY PLEA & FINE July 31 - Al-Shabnan admitted that he failed to inform authorities about suspected sexual abuse of a 5-year-old girl suspected child abuse. He was fined $500. As part of a plea bargain, prosecutors dropped an obstruction of justice charge, which could have carried up to a year in jail. A trial had been scheduled for Aug. 1.

Police also said in court papers that the Al-Shabnan, 52, had a report of the girl's complaint deleted from a school computer.

Court Ruling

Another blow against public integrity.

July 31, 2008 - Spokesman Review editor Steve Smith on "A stunning ruling."

By now, I hope you have seen the story today on the Washington Supreme Court ruling protecting the names of teachers who have been accused of sexual misconduct. (Link here)

It's a pretty amazing ruling. If I read it correctly, it even provides the districts cover if officials choose not to notify police agencies of accusations even though they are so-called mandatory reporters.

In my view, this is another example of bureaucrats being given the power to hold back information critical to the public.

Some will argue the ruling protects the privacy of the accused until charges are substantiated. But who decides the charges have been substantiated, or even properly investigated? [Emphasis ours.] And in cases of sexual abuse by teachers, publicity is often what brings victims forward to provide the substantiation?

If there is a balance to be struck, I believe it ought to be struck in the public interest. Read the dissent for more on that view.

In any event, this ruling, like other recent decisions against public disclosure, is sure to lead to calls for legislative action. But it will take real legislative oomph to overcome the powerful teacher lobby.

----------------------------------
The news article linked to states that the high court ruled Thursday that identifying teachers in unsubstantiated cases violates the teachers’ right to privacy. A lower court had previously ruled that the information should be disclosed in cases where school districts’ investigations were insufficient.
----------------------------------------
The case is:
Bellevue John Does 1-11 v. Bellevue School District No. 405
docket number 78603-8.

Opinion here PDF
Dissent here PDF

Moreover, the majority’s analysis fails to account for one of the underlying purposes of the PRA—accountability of public agencies. Because the majority decides that a teacher’s identity is not disclosable where the misconduct is unsubstantiated, and rejects the idea that the adequacy of a school district’s investigation has any bearing on disclosure, the majority leaves school districts free to control whether an accused teacher’s identity must be released by controlling the scope and depth of its investigation.

Drawing the line for disclosure at records relating to unsubstantiated allegations fails to recognize the immense pressures on school districts. First, school districts come under pressure from the teachers and their associations to withhold teachers’ names. At the same time, if the school districts vigorously pursue allegations of sexual misconduct, they face the threat of lawsuits from students and their parents. - from pg. 11

A school district can effectively control whether an accused teacher’s identity must be released by reaching an agreement with the teacher exchanging resignation for silence. - from pg. 12.

Placing the power in the hands of school districts to control, to any extent, whether disclosure is required is incompatible with the PRA. - from pg. 14 [Bolding ours.]

New Iberia, LOUISIANA

July 31, 2008 - Darius Sias, 38, principal of the Alternative Center for Education, was arrested Wednesday, charged with possession of Schedule II narcotics, which authorities identified as cocaine; possession of marijuana; possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance; possession of drug paraphernalia; and monetary instrument abuse (possession of counterfeit money.)

Investigators recovered marijuana, cocaine and more than $300 in counterfeit money in a search of a house where ongoing drug activity was suspected..

The Alternative Center for Education is designed for students who have special education needs or have been suspended or expelled from other schools. Sias has been the principal of Lee Street Alternative School for about three years and has been with the school system for 14 years.
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A poster at the news story at the Daily Iberian wrote:"This is NO SUPRISE to me! I am a former Westagete student where Sias was asst. principle. He would always act like one of the boys, flirt with all the girls and showed to respect for his position.This is the kind of person we send our children to school with? what a shame! "

North Augusta, SOUTH CAROLINA

Thirty-seven-year old teacher and 14-year-old female student.

July 31, 2008 - Shannon Fowler, 37, a a math teacher at Paul Knox Middle School, was arrested on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and enticing an enrolled child from attendance in school.

Authorities say Fowler was having an “inappropriate relationship” with one of her 14-year-old students since the fall of 2007, saying the two allegedly engaged in explicit conversations and that Fowler would take the girl off the school campus several times a week without the permission of the girl’s parents. Authorities say Fowler encouraged the teen to hide their relationship.

Investigators say the teacher spoke with the student throughout the day in person and by phone and text messages. Investigators say the conversations between the two were sexual in nature and even encouraged the girl to skip class to spend time with her.

Fowler is also accused of buying the girl a prepaid cell phone and giving her answers to a standardized test. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) handled the investigation because Fowler's husband is a former employee of the North Augusta Department of Public Safety.
Aiken COUNTY

August 12, 2008 - Fowler is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 5.

CERTIFICATE SUSPENDED September 10 - The South Carolina State Board of Education summarily suspended Fowler's educator certificate until a due process hearing or the matter is otherwise resolved. PDF

No other online updates to the case.

Clearwater, FLORIDA

July 31, 2008 - Aaron J. Stewart, 28, was set to teach at Clearwater Middle School this fall and who has worked at various schools in the Pinellas County School district, was arrested on charges of child pornography possession.

Investigators discovered Stewart's possession of child pornography during an undercover internet investigation that identified known images of child pornography and traced the files back to Stewart's computer. A search warrant was executed at Stewart's Clearwater home and his computer was seized, along with additional computer equipment. Stewart admitted to knowingly possessing the images identified during the undercover investigation, many of which appeared to be of children as young as seven or eight years of age.
----------------------
Florida Attorney General's Office Press Release (dated July 31, 2008)
Stewart was booked into the Pinellas County Jail. He will be charged with one count of promoting the sexual performance of a child, a second-degree felony, and eight counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.

Richardson, TEXAS

July 31, 2008 - Brent Archie, 31, a Richardson High School teacher and coach , has been arrested and charged with two counts of having a sexual relationship with two high school students.

Police were alerted by a counselor at a Christian camp in Colorado.

The counselor told authorities she learned about the relationship when questioning the girl about an argument she had with her 16-year-old boyfriend.

The girl said she couldn’t break up with him because her “boyfriend knew her secret,” according to the affidavit. The girl told the counselor that she initiated the relationship with Mr. Archie and eventually ended it, the affidavit states.

Initially Archie denied the charges and offered to take a polygraph test. After failing it, police say he confessed. The first victim was age 16. After interviewing a second victim, police say they found out the relationship with the second student began in May 2007 and lasted until July 2008. The girl was 15 when the two first had sex and was 17 when they last had sex.

Archie taught world history and an elective course that focuses on college-readiness skills, according to the school’s Web site.

Payson, UTAH

Well, this was predictable with so many 30-something teachers having sex with teenage boys. You actually have to shoot the student to get on Good Morning America or the View, though.

April 1, 2008 - A husband and wife were arrested recently after police say the man found the woman -- who is a junior high school teacher -- together with a teenage boy.

Jennifer Gonzales, 32, was arrested for having sex with a minor. She is a teacher at Mount Nebo Junior High School in Payson but authorities said the teen boy was not a student there.

The woman's husband, Richard Gonzales, was also arrested after police say he began chasing his wife and the boy with a gun. He was charged with aggravated assault.

April 3 - Gonzales found his wife topless with the teenager. The boy was 16 years old. He told police that he gave Jennifer Gonzales a massage. She teaches children with behavioral problems.

April 4 - New, sordid details are emerging.

According to the affidavit, the woman's husband, Richard Gonzales, returned home early from work to find his wife and the boy downstairs with candles and oils. When Gonzales stormed into the room, he witnessed his wife dressing herself and the boy running out of the room pulling his pants up.

The husband and wife argued about the incident, and according to the affidavit, Richard Gonzales retrieved a 9 mm handgun and waved it at the boy, telling him to get out of the house. He also allegedly pointed it at his wife and threatened to kill her. Gonzales admitted to the allegations during a police interview.

GUILTY PLEA (HER) June 5 - Gonzales pleaded guilty to the two two felony charges of attempted forcible sexual abuse - third-degree felonies. She is scheduled to be sentenced July 28.

GUILTY PLEA (HIM) June 14 - Richard Gonzales pleaded no contest to a class A misdemeanor of using or displaying a dangerous weapon in a fight.

Gonzales came home to Payson one evening in March to find his wife, Jennifer, and their 16-year-old proctor son in the basement, both scrambling to put their clothes back on.

Proctor parents take temporary care of troubled youths in state custody until they can be reunited with their families.

He will be sentenced July 10.

SENTENCED (HER) and (HIM) July 29 - Jennifer Gonzales was sentenced to 180 days in jail - not prison. She was also sentenced to three years of probation and ordered her to complete a sex offender treatment program.

The victim had been in a youth detention center and was placed with the Gonzales family for support. Richard Gonzales filed for divorce after the charges were filed. He was sentenced earlier in the month - on the reduced charge of a class A misdemeanor of using or displaying a dangerous weapon in a fight - to 20 days in jail, which can be served out in the community while wearing an ankle GPS monitor. He also required a nearly $800 fine, plus 18 months of court probation

East Brunswick, NEW JERSEY

Time to update those yearbooks.
We have no idea why it took three years to sentence him.

July 20, 2008 -

Richard Walling, 50, described as "former East Brunswick councilman, disgraced teacher and local historian," was sentenced to 364 days in jail - not prison - in connection with his theft of $32,500 from the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield, a volunteer group that works with the state park.

Walling, son of the late East Brunswick Mayor Jean Walling, pleaded guilty in August 2005 to theft. Walling served as the chief executive officer of the group at the time.

The 2005 guilty plea followed another case in which Walling was accused of harassing a 17-year-old female student from the East Brunswick campus of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools where he worked as a teacher. He allegedly sent 17 "sexual and annoying" text messages to her cell phone.

According to a police report, Walling admitted taking the student to a movie, buying her gifts and helping with a traffic summons by speaking to a prosecutor on her behalf.

In November 2004, Walling pleaded guilty to a downgraded disorderly conduct charge in the harassment case. He agreed to give up his teaching license and was ordered to undergo psychological evaluation. He was also fined $500.

Walling once served on the East Brunswick Township Council and Zoning Board.

ARRESTED (Again) July 31 - Walling has again been jailed on charges he violated probation related to a 2005 third-degree theft charge.

Walling was jailed for violating his probation in 2006, when he was charged with failure to report and failure to provide change of address information to authorities. He served 50 days in jail.

According to [Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Brian] Gillet, Walling will likely serve about six months of his jail sentence this time, due to the two months' credit he has accrued from his previous time in the detention center. At the time of his release, his probation will be terminated

At the time of his trial, Walling told the judge that his mental state had been adversely affected by sexual harassment charges filed against him by a former teenage student of his in 2004, and the negative attention they garnered.

A trial by your peers

A jury trial by your peers is bound to lead to problems when you live in New Jersey.

"Rarely had there been such a chasm between how the government and a judge viewed the same case." - Star-Ledger

Feb 29, 2008 - Trying to find a jury for a 2-3 month trial of Newark Mayor Sharpe James hasn't been easy for the court as two people told U.S. District Judge William Martini they didn't want to leave their jobs for the two-to-three month duration of the trial even though they would still receive their salaries. One included a teacher to whom the judge lectured.

About 90 minutes later, Martini interviewed a Ridgewood music teacher, who said although his school district would continue to pay his salary, he didn't feel comfortable being away from his students' lessons and performances.

``A big part of our educational system is teaching students the importance of civic duty,'' Martini gently reminded the Pompton Plains resident.
``I would feel more comfortable being there,'' the potential juror told the judge, who unsuccessfully tried to change his mind.

``Explain that to the political science teachers in your school system. I mean that,'' Martini said as he excused the teacher.

TT - It's New Jersey, for God's sake! These people voted for Sharpe James. Lecturing them about civic responsibility is a wasted effort. James, is also a Democratic state Senator. [Holding two elected offices has been a tradition in N.J.]

SENTENCED (Sorta) July 31, 2008 - Sharpe James was sentenced to prison for 27 months at a (as described by the New York Times,)

simmering five-hour hearing in which he rebuked the prosecution for “heartlessly” adhering to a bureaucratic form of justice. The prosecution had asked for 20 years.

BIZARRE comments by the judge.

In rendering the sentence, Judge William J. Martini of United States District Court blistered the prosecution, saying he was “shocked and disappointed” by the sentencing request and questioning the contention that the James administration had been corrupt for years.

“Don’t talk about a history of corruption unless you can prove it,” Judge Martini, a former Republican congressman, scolded Judith H. Germano, the chief prosecutor in the case. “I don’t want to hear these allegations of a corrupt administration, he’s all-powerful, he didn’t do any good. I’m supposed to throw out the history of a man’s life for misconduct he committed at age 69?”

TT - Well, actually, you should. A lifetime of service is no defense in a criminal court and it should not be a factor in sentencing, not if there is equal justice under our laws. Otherwise, public service is a license to break the law. Federal sentencing guidelines called for a prison term of between roughly 10 to 15 years, according to a report by the U.S. Probation Department.

Judge Martini was a one-term Congressman who was appointed to the Federal court in 2002 by President Bush.

See Parole Board member praises Sharpe James as role model (July 25)
See Asbury Park press editorial calling for a long sentence for James. (July 26)
See Parole board member once worked as aide to Mayor James (July 28
See The Record editorial "Editorial: Catch and release" (July 31)

See Cast of characters in the trial of ex-Newark mayor
One of James' attorneys is married to author and columnist Anna Quindlen. The other defended top aide to James, Jackie R. Mattison, in 1997. Mattison got 41 months in federal prison for accepting $17,000 in bribes to steer city contracts to an insurance broker, who was also convicted. Other clients included men convicted of being mobsters. [Mattison was also a New Jersey State Assemblyman during that period that he was Chief of Staff for James.)

See James sentence points to shift in Judiciary (Star-Ledger) (July 30)

Rarely had there been such a chasm between how the government and a judge viewed the same case. James and his attorneys walked out of court almost like victors, while U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie vowed to appeal the sentence, something his office does only a few times each year.

See In Newark, More Weariness Than Anger at Sentence (NYTimes) (July 31)

Jacksonville, FLORIDA

July 31, 2008 - Malachy Henry, 53, a Mandarin High School teacher, was sentenced on Thursday to spend 90 days in prison (TT -we're thinking they mean jail, not prison.) for simple battery on five female students. He was convicted of inappropriately touching five teenage girls.

At his sentencing hearing, Henry didn’t admit to do anything to the girls. [sic]

"She said so, and they just took the kid's word and the teachers are thrown under the road so to speak," Henry said in court.

In addition to spending 90 days in prison, Henry will also have to go to three months of treatment.

Four other charges are still pending against Henry from other girls who said Henry also touched them inappropriately and made sexual comments.
Duval County
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ONLINE RESOURCE - You can search for disciplinary actions against teachers in Florida online at Myfloridateacher.com Search by name or just browse the district actions. These are recent Duval County disciplinary actions.

Ambridge, PENNSYLVANIA

School Board member wants tougher screening.

July 30, 2008 - Ambridge School Board Member William Scherfel criticized the district’s hiring process Wednesday before casting the only votes against 16 new hires.

Of particular concern was the possibility of pedophiles seeping into the school system, he said. Scherfel said he didn’t believe any of the candidates were properly screened.“These kids are too important to just indiscriminately hire someone…We already had one pedophile in our school district. We don’t need another one,” Scherfel said, referring to former social studies teacher David Costanza, who was sentenced last year for having sex with a 15-year-old student.

Employees must have criminal background, child abuse and FBI checks to be considered; administrators interview and make recommendations to the board. Scherfel said many pedophiles don’t have records, and said he would invite a professional firm to discuss other screenings with the board next month.

TT - David Costanza, 28, is the son of then-school board president Charles Costanza. He was sentenced to six months to two years in county jail - not prison - followed by 5 years' probation for sex with a 15-year-old girl. At the time of his sentencing in July 2007, two teachers testified on his behalf, one of them slated to be the victim's teacher in the Fall.

Ambridge Area School Board President Dr. Bernard Logan chastised the two teachers.

"I believe you lost sight of the bigger picture," Logan wrote. "Mr. Costanza preyed on a 15-year-old girl. She slept at his house. The relationship went on for weeks. ... How you diminished these actions and testified to his positive contributions, while this girl, the victim, with her family, sat in the courtroom, is beyond my understanding."

Entry for Costanza.

There may not be any screening that will accurately predict teachers who will misbehave. However, there should be tougher sentences for those who sexually abuse students. While states like Louisiana, Kentucky and Arkansas are passing laws to criminalize teacher-student sex, Pennsylvania continues such absurd lenient sentences even for the most lurid cases. It's a state where teacher strikes are common (82 in seven years.) But if you want to know why there's no attempt to correct the situation, you need to look at the corruption that starts at the top.

You'd think they would be ashamed that they make New Jersey look almost respectable.

Hamburg, NEW YORK

Dec 2, 2006 - Ronald Norris, 55, a teacher at Frontier High School in Hamburg, was arrested by Federal agents on charges of possession of child pornography.

The case against Norris grew out of an earlier investigation into a Belarus-based company that provided billing services for child pornography websites and operated child pornography sites of its own. Since Operation Predator was launched in July of 2003, more than 9,233 arrests have been made, including 629 in New York.

Agents found numerous images on his computer and a compact disk.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 31, 2008 - Norris pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of child porn. He was sentenced on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to six years and six months in federal prison for possessing digital movies and images of child pornography.

U.S. Department of Justice Press Release (dated July 30, 2008)
Norris sentence also included 5 years of supervised release and a fine of $24,000. He will also surrender his New York state teaching and administrator certificates.

Child Pornography and Educators
TT - List of those sentenced for child pornography.
TT - List of those guilty but not yet sentenced for child pornography.

Nashville, TENNESSEE

Sentenced to three years in prison.

ARRESTED May 15, 2007 - Independence High School teacher Heather Thornsby, 34, has been arrested on charges that she had a sexual relationship with a student.

Thornsby told school officials that she’d been having an inappropriate relationship with a female student, according to the sheriff. She is charged with sexual battery by an authority figure and is being held at the county jail without bail.

The Williamson County Sheriff's Department told Channel 4 News that a parent filed a complaint. They said the complaint alleged improper contact between the teacher and a student. The girl’s parents discovered the relationship after finding a message in her room.

A second female teacher at the school is also being investigated for sex with another female student. Channel 2 news link.
Full Name: Heather Lee Thorsby

Update May 16 - Thornsby bailed out ($10,000) and to remain with her parents who live in Franklin. Thorsby planned to resign at the end of the school year, according to Williamson County Schools Director Rebecca Sharber. She has been suspended without pay.
(Photo courtesy Williamson County Sheriff's Office.)

INDICTED Nov 13 - A grand jury has indicted Thornsby on seven counts related to an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student. She is charged with three counts of statutory rape by an authority figure, two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and two counts of exploitation of a minor by electronic means.

Thorsby was arrested on May 15 and charged then with sexual battery by an authority figure. School officials suspended Thorsby without pay on May 11, after she admitted to displaying conduct unbecoming of a teacher.

In May, Williamson County Sheriff Ricky Headley said Thorsby told school officials she’d been having an inappropriate relationship with a female student. Headley said the relationship began as a friendship but turned sexual.

The girl turned 18 in March. Her parents uncovered the relationship after finding a message in her room, Headley said. The parents went to school officials.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 31, 2008 - Thornsby pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and 2 counts of sexual battery by an authority figure. She was sentenced to three years in prison.

She was sentenced to three years for each of the five counts but as part of the plea bargain, she will serve the sentences concurrently. She was also required to registry with the state as a sex offender.

Golden, COLORADO

Forty-three year-old father of three pleads guilty to sexual assault of 17-year-old student. Sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years to life of intensive supervision sex offender probation.

Oct 23, 2007 -
William Paxton, 42, a music instructor and color-guard coach at five Jefferson County schools has been arrested, on suspicion of sexual assault and sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

The student is 16-years-old.

Sheriff's investigators recently became aware of sexual-assault allegations and believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with more information is urged to contact the tip line at 303-271-5612.

Paxton was employed during the 1995-96 school year as the assistant band director at Arvada High School and in 2006-07 as the instrumental music instructor at Alameda High School.

Through the Rocky Mountain Colorado Guard Association, Paxton also advised, volunteered or consulted at D'Evelyn, Jefferson and Lakewood high schools on an intermittent basis.

Paxton has been termed ineligible for rehire with the district until further notice, said schools spokeswoman Lynn Setzer.

Full Name: William Samuel Paxton

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Press Release (Dated Oct 23, 2007) ( Uses "female students" - plural and states that Paxton served intermittently as both a volunteer and a contract employee.)

Nov 9 - Investigators believe Paxton may have engaged in similar allegations of sexual misconduct with students in the Castle Rock area.

Anyone with more information is urged to contact the Castle Rock Police Department tip line at 720-733-2241.

GUILTY PLEA May 30, 2008 - Paxton pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female student. Paxton was the student's coach in marching band. the student several text messages every day and gave her a cell phone so they could talk. Prosecutors say Paxton then invited the student to his apartment twice where he sexually assaulted her. Paxton is the father of three. He also must serve 10 years to life of intensive supervision as a sex offender.

He will be sentenced in July.

Jefferson County District Attorney's Office has no press release at this time.

SENTENCED July 31 - Paxton was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 10 years to life of intensive supervision sex offender probation.

ABC ch 7: While Paxton was not found to be a sexually violent predator by Colorado’s official designation, District Judge Stephen Munsinger told Paxton before sentencing him Thursday that he did find him to be a sexual predator.

Cabot, ARKANSAS

School superintendent: "“The police came, he handed me his resignation, and they all walked out together.”

March 4, 2008 - Daniel Utter, 34, a middle school teacher and coach, was arrested on campus for an alleged sex crime at his previous school. He is being held on suspicion of second-degree sexual assault for allegedly having sex with a teenage girl at the Cabot School District.

Utter is alleged to have kissed and fondled a girl at Cabot Junior High and later had sex with her on three different occasions in a Jacksonville hotel room in March 2005, according to an affidavit for a warrant of arrest filed in Lonoke County Circuit Court filing.

Utter began coaching senior girls basketball at Paris in August 2007. No allegations made against Utter in the Paris School District. He also taught social studies at the middle school.

GUILTY PLEA July 17 - Utter pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree sexual assault. No sentencing date given.

LEGAL NOTE: (from the story) Under Arkansas law, a person commits second-degree sexual assault if the person engages in sexual contact with someone younger than 18, and the offender is a professional, is in a position of trust or authority, is an employee in the minor’s school or school district.

Rush City, MINNESOTA

ALL CHARGES DROPPED

Jan 20, 2008 - Timothy Bowland, 39, a social studies teacher and wrestling coach at Rush City High School has been arrested in connection with allegations of sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old female student.

He was charged with third-degree criminal sexual assault. Bowland was arrested at the school about 1 p.m. Friday, shortly after classes were dismissed. He has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Full Name: Timothy Alan Bowland

Jan 24 - The Post Review: A student, a friend of the victim, notified the administration last Thursday. The district then contacted the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Education immediately.

Currently, there are three investigations underway. That of the County Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s investigators, one by the Minnesota Department of Education, and an internal investigation by the school district, which is being handled by the district’s legal counsel.

Bowland was officially charged Tuesday with one count of third degree criminal sexual conduct. Next court appearance is Apr 1.

TT - No comments are accepted on this entry.

TRIAL DATE June 13 - The Chisago County Attorney’s office is expecting to go to trial July 14.

At a lengthy omnibus hearing conducted on June 10, in front of 10th District Court Judge Douglas G. Swenson, attorney for Bowland, Julie A. Matonich, filed motions for additional discovery, including medical records and school disciplinary records for the victim, and a motion to grant the defense access to the site of the alleged assault, Bowland’s office at the high school. As well, a motion to dismiss the charges based on a lack of probable cause was filed.

Although it is possible Swenson could grant that motion, it is not common since judges rule on probable cause at the onset of a criminal case. According to County Attorney Janet Reiter, Swenson has been given additional information to bolster the determination of probable cause.

A concern regarding motions from the perspective of the County Attorney’s Office (the matter is being handled by Asst. District Attorney Jessica Stott), is that the defense will have adequate time to review discovery by the July 14 trial date, as the County Attorney’s Office would like to have the matter settled before the start of the 2008 - 09 school year.

CHARGES DROPPED July 28 - The Chisago County Attorney’s Office said it dropped all charges against 39-year-old Timothy Bowland. Prosecutors said there is not enough evidence to move the case forward.

Charges dropped against RC teacher

According to a press release from County Attorney Janet Reiter, details came to light recently that were considered unfavorable to the case, forcing a complete re-evaluation.

Reiter also explained her office’s subsequent action: “As public prosecutors we may not ethically proceed with a case if there is not a strong likelihood that there is sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. It was therefore our duty to dismiss this case at this point in time.”

CHARGES DROPPED

St. Charles, MISSOURI

CHARGES DISMISSED

Jan 18, 2007 - Donna DeWeese, 55, a social studies teacher at Francis Howell North High School, was indicted by a grand jury on a felony stealing charge, accused of taking $16,000 from the Class of 2007's prom fund. She was a class sponsor who oversaw such things as the prom.

Administrators at the School noticed a discrepancy in accounts for the 2006 prom. The district began an internal investigation and turned it over to police when they determined it could be a criminal matter.

DeWeese was placed on paid administrative leave Aug. 29. She has been on unpaid leave since she was charged. The grand jury indicted her Nov. 29.
Full name: Donna E. DeWeese
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Case Activity
Disposition Hearing Scheduled for July 25, 2008 at 9:00 am in Division 3 Court Room before Judge Lucy D. Rauch.
Updated June 30, 2008

Court order OCt 12, 2007 that: DEFENDANT'S GAMBLING RECORDS, WILL NOT BE ALLOWED AT TRIAL ABSENT THE STATE TO PROVIDE TO THE COURT A SATISFACTORY CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ALLEGED MONIES MISSING FROM THE PROM FUND AND THE DEFENDANT'S GAMBLING RECORDS

CHARGES DISMISSED July 28, 2008 - St. Charles County prosecutors on Monday dismissed charges against 56-year-old Donna DeWeese. DeWeese agreed to pay the district $4,500 to recover the cost of insurance coverage for the missing funds. (From Education Week)

From St. Louis Post-Dispatch (July 28) . Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas said this morning that the thefts couldn't be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The school district had one amount for the missing money, St. Peters police another and an accountant hired by DeWeese had yet another number, he said.

Ultimately, Banas said, prosecutors decided to drop the charge after DeWeese paid $4,500 in restitution to the school district's insurance fund.

CHARGES DISMISSED

Sarasota, FLORIDA

Convicted felon taught first grade for a year on a counterfeit teaching certificate.

July 9, 2008 - Susan Bell, 51, a first grade teacher at Suncoast School for Innovative Studies, was arrested and charged with identity theft, fraud and using a counterfeit teaching certificate.

Bell used another woman's teaching certificate to win a job at the Suncoast School for Innovative Studies, a charter school where she taught for about a year before she was outed. Bell then falsified a resume and took a job at the Brickhouse Academy in November, according to reports.
Full Name: Susan Davidson Bell

Sarasota Herald-Tribune (July 10) Police say 2 schools hired felon to teach

"It's not the first time she's done something like this," said Detective Jack Carter.

Bell has been charged at least nine other times with fraud and larceny. In fact, she was convicted in 2002 after she gave Sarasota County School District officials forged recommendation letters and a phony teaching certificate when she applied for a job at Opportunity High School.

They didn't hire her.

TT - A little frightening. She could have been a sex offender. And it makes you wonder what kind of background checks they do at those schools that don't include fingerprints that surely would have identified her.

Pittsburgh, PENNSYLVANIA

It's a good thing, ultimately," she said of her arrest. "I got my life back."

At a routine traffic stop, they found heroin and a syringe in her purse.
"She was coming to school the whole time and she was doing drugs," a student said. "So, it's like, 'You're a liar.'"

May 28, 2008 - Mary Steck, 51, a physics teacher at Perry Traditional Academy, was arrested a mile away from the school on charges of possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia.

According to the criminal complaint, police were in the neighborhood because citizens had reported seeing an increase in drug sales. Shortly after they arrived, narcotics detectives said they witnessed a man Steck was with purchasing the heroin.

Police said the man got out of the vehicle, purchased the drugs and got back inside. When police pulled Steck over, they said they found heroin and a syringe in her purse.

Steck was suspended.
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Perry Traditional Academy is one of ten public high schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Source: Wikipedia The school rates a 2 (with 1 being the lowest) at GreatSchools.net for their test scores.

The district pays $12,559 a year per pupil in the Pittsburgh School District. In May, the school got a rave review for their production of "Urinetown."
----------------
SENTENCED July 10 - A judge sentenced Steck to six months of probation, without a verdict. The drug charges could be dropped if Ms. Steck, who has no prior criminal record and stays out of trouble.

Mary Steck faces losing her job after police caught her buying heroin in May. But she's grateful they caught her. After five years of using drugs, Ms. Steck, 51, said she is now clean.

"I thank the cops for helping me get my life back," the North Side woman said yesterday as she waited for a hearing to begin in City Court. "I have a disease."

She expects to lose her teaching license. But she hopes to get back into the profession some day, after serving her sentence and clearing her record.
TT - This is a woman we can respect. We wish her well with her life.

St. Petersburg, FLORIDA

NO CHARGE.
July 26, 2008 - Prosecutors will not pursue criminal charges against Snieszko.

April 30, 2008 - Darren Snieszko, 25, a Gibbs High School science teacher was arrested on charges that he engaged in inappropriate behavior with students. He was charged with interfering with custody. Police say he encouraged a 16-year-old girl attending Gibbs to go on what he called a field trip to Lowry Park Zoo alone with him.
News Channel 8 has a great arrest photo.

St. Petersburg Police Department spokesman Bill Proffitt characterized the outing as a date. The girl and her mother went to the police station on April 11 to complain. Another female student at the school also is claiming Snieszko took her on a trip, but Snieszko has not been charged in that incident.

The student said Snieszko sent a her a variety of romantic messages using MySpace, cell phone text messages and instant email messages, according to a police report.
-------------
Comment at news story: "AT what point are we going to FIRE the person in charge of the school system?"
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NO CHARGES July 26 - Prosecutors will not pursue criminal charges. School officials began an investigation that found Snieszko didn't have any sexual contact with the girls, but that he became too close to them by taking them to the movies, the zoo and Busch Gardens without informing their parents, said Valerie Brimm, a district administrator.

Brimm said one student said she and Snieszko kissed, though Snieszko told investigators that the student initiated it.

The school district was going to recommend that Snieszko be fired, but gave him the option of resigning. He quit July 1.

"He was very remorseful in saying that in hindsight he made some terrible decisions," Brimm said.

Prosecutors will not pursue the criminal charge because the girl's mother wanted to put the incident behind them, said prosecutor Beverly Andringa.

Lake Mary, FLORIDA

CHARGES DROPPED

Dec 13, 2007 - Michele McGhee, 56, a Heathrow Elementary School third grade teacher, was arrested on a charge of possessing a firearm on school property.

A loaded gun linked to her was found the school grounds Wednesday not far from several children. It was found by a school secretary, along with a cell phone that was traced to McGhee. When deputies examined the handgun, a .38-caliber snub-nosed revolver, they found it loaded with five hollow-point bullets.

The district is suspending McGhee with pay pending the outcome of an investigation. The school superintendent will recommend her termination.

An official with the Seminole Education Association, a union that represents Seminole County teachers, said the group has assigned an attorney to defend her.

CHARGES DROPPED July 21, 2008 - Charges have been dropped against a Sanford teacher arrested for bringing a gun to school. The State Attorney's Office said it does appear to be an accident and decided not to press charges.

CHARGES DROPPED

Pembroke Pines, FLORIDA

When he was confronted by a 14-year-old student who accused him of molesting her, Pines Middle School teacher Russell Pittman apologized, police said. Then he told her he loved her.
Police know. They got it on tape.

July 15, 2008 -Pines Middle School band teacher Russell Pittman, 46, was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior against a 14-year-old girl.

Pittman allegedly groped and massaged one of the girl's breasts, then reached inside her shirt and tried to touch her under her bra, the report states. After she pulled away, Pittman left."The victim kept it to herself at first," said Davis. Then she told friends. "They convinced her to tell her mother, who then reported it to us," Davis said.

Detectives quickly set up a telephone call between the girl and Pittman. As the victim talked about what happened, Pittman "continued to apologize to the victim for his actions and explained that he loved her," according to the arrest report.

Pittman has been a teacher at Pines Middle School for more than a decade.
Broward County

Newport, NORTH CAROLINA

July 17, 2008 - Sally A. Whitchurch, 49, an eighth grade math teacher at Newport Middle School, was arrested for felony possession of marijuana and felony maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of a controlled substance.

Also facing charges are her son, daughter and a temporary houseguest. Several growing marijuana plants and various other amounts of the illegal drug were seized Wednesday from the home after a search warrant was executed there.

Whitchurch has worked with the school system since April 1995.

SUSPENDED August 6 - Whitchurch is on suspension with pay for up to 90 days while an internal in-vestigation continues and the criminal case against her proceeds in court, school system officials said.

The suspension took effect Wednesday. According to state statutes, 90 days is the maximum time allowed for the suspension with pay unless the superintendent and employee agree to an extension.

If the superintendent finds there is cause, he may initiate dismissal or demotion proceedings during the suspension period.

If that does not occur, the statutes state, the employee is reinstated to his or her duties and all records of the suspension with pay is removed from their personnel file at their request.

Lansing, MICHIGAN

"Desperate (and horny) Education" Episode #841

July 17, 2008 - Carrie Denbow, 32, a Lansing school district employee, was arrested, accused of having sexual contact with a student from 2006 to 2007. The Ingham County Prosecutor's office says the student was 13-15 years old during this time.

She was arraigned on 7 counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree. Those are felony charges. Shehas been on paid administrative leave since December. She is the daughter of Terry Denbow, the head of MSU's University Relations department.
Full Name: Carrie Alice Denbow

She will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on July 25th.

July 19: Records allege teen, Hill staffer had sex at school
and a party store parking lot and on Michigan State University's campus, according to court documents. The teen has been described as a ward of the court.

Denbow also is charged with misdemeanor assault and battery involving the teen in a Dec. 3, 2007, incident at the Hill Center. No details have been released about the incident.

Denbow is a student assistance provider at the Hill Center. In her job, she helped students with anything from problems at home to problems in the classroom.

Cheyenne, WYOMING

She talked to her students about the dangers of using drugs in classroom DARE program. Feds identify her as a "frequent cocaine customer."

Feb 8, 2008 - Irena F. Mondello, 41, a sixth-grade teacher at Bain Elementary School, 41, was one of 19 people arrested. Police accuse Mondello of being a frequent customer of Steven A. Gibson, 64, a Cheyenne man they say distributed cocaine in the Cheyenne area after getting the drug from sources in the Denver area.

She is charged with two counts each of lying to federal investigators and attempting to possess cocaine.

Mondello told investigators she didn't use cocaine but sometimes ordered the drug from Gibson for her estranged husband, Andrew Mondello, 40, by using her cell phone, according to federal court documents.

Her husband is awaiting trial in Laramie County District Court on a charge of possessing crack cocaine. He told drug agents that he and his wife bought cocaine from Gibson. Gibson claims he sold to both of them. but since their estrangement, he sold to them individually. Another cocaine dealer admits selling to the teacher. In reviewing phone records, authorities allege Irena Mondello used her cell phone to try and contact Gibson 118 times between March 26 and Nov. 2, 2007.

When police arrested Gibson last fall, a search of his home turned up 10 pounds of marijuana and a half pound of cocaine. Police say the ring smuggled more than 100 pounds of cocaine into southeast Wyoming over five years. Authorities estimated the value of the cocaine at $1.6 million.

Irena Mondello has been suspended with pay.

GUILTY PLEA March 26 - Mondello pleaded guilty to a single count of lying to agents during an investigation into a suspected interstate cocaine ring. Mondello's attorney said his client will receive two years of supervised probation instead of prison time for the single count. She will be sentenced June 30.

Mondello is the second teacher charged in connection with the suspected cocaine ring. Mary Dunning, 47, a teacher's assistant at Baggs Elementary, faces two counts of attempting to possess cocaine. TT entry for Dunning.

ARRESTED (Again) & BOND REVOKED - June 19 - Mondello was arrested for driving under the influence. Conditions of her release state that she "shall refrain from any use or possession of alcohol." Her bond was revoked at the bond revocation hearing. Mondello's case now has the potential to head to trial. Her attorney said he would have to renegotiate her plea deal.

SENTENCED - July 26 - Mondello was sentenced to 366 days in prison and three years of supervised release.

Neosho, MISSOURI

Poor judgement.

July 25, 2008 - Debra M. Scott, 42, a Neosho kindergarten teacher, was charged Thursday with six counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

She is accused of driving six female juveniles to a home in Diamond at 12:45 a.m. on July 16 so the group could dump a toilet, two dead armadillos and several bags of trash onto the front yard.

Newton County Prosecutor Jacob Skouby said Scott was charged with child endangerment because she knew before she drove the juveniles to the home in Diamond that they would litter the yard and allegedly commit delinquent acts. Since the minors allegedly violated a law or municipal ordinance, their cases have since been referred to the county juvenile-office system.

Since the cases have been referred to the juvenile system, Scott can be charged with endangering the child in the second-degree, Skouby said.

Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland said Scott was issued a summons for her arraignment, but not arrested.

RESIGNATION August 19 - Scott offered her resignation and it was placed on the consent agenda. The letter said she was going to resign from her job immediately.

A pre-trial conference has been set for Sept. 3.

Jasper, TENNESSEE

July 25, 2008 - Jack Owens, 47, a substitute teacher in Marion County schools, was arrested and charged with aggravated statutory rape by an authority figureand solicitation of a minor by electronic means, and carrying a weapon on school property.

Authorities were notified Thursday by the victim's family after explicit text messaged were discovered on the student's phone. The student is described as a 15-year-old student athlete. Police took over the texting as part of the investigation and arraigned a meeting at Marion County High School where they arrested Owens.

The married father of four had been a paramedic at Grandview Medical Center for five years. He serves as athletic trainer for the Marion County High School football team and has been a substitute teacher in Marion County.
Full Name: Jack Clinton Owens
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IRRESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM NewsChannel 9 visited the school to "get answers."

We went to Owens' house, where no one answered the door. And to Marion County High, where we were told to leave.

We were approached by a woman, who didn't identify herself, who told us, "you need to leave, there are kids practicing, you can't do this to the kids."

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Barstow, CALIFORNIA

DISTRICT ATTORNEY WILL NOT FILE CHARGES.

Feb 18, 2008 - Gerard Schrader, 56, a teacher at Barstow Junior High School, was arrested on suspicion of child molestation.

He faces charges of committing a lewd act on or with a child under 14-years-old and committing a lewd act with a child aged between 14- and 15-years-old.

Jerry Bergmans, the superintendent of the Barstow Unified School District, said that students brought complaints against Schrader to Susan Levine, assistant superintendent of personnel at the district. He said he did not know specifics about the complaints, but they involved accusations of molestation.
“It involved some of our female students and things that they told our assistant superintendent,” Bergmans said.

Levine, who is a mandated reporter and required to report complaints to the authorities, conducted a small investigation into the allegations on her own and then called the police, Bergmans said. The investigation is now being handled by the Barstow Police Department.

Anyone with information can call the Barstow Police Department at 256-2211.
People with information that wish to remain anonymous can call WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME or leave information on the WeTip Web site at www.wetip.com.

NO CHARGES Michael Fermin, supervising deputy district attorney at the Barstow courthouse, said Friday that the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office elected not to file charges against Gerard Schrader.

Fermin said that based on the information available, his office did not believe it would be able to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, but he declined to elaborate further.

NO CHARGES WILL BE FILED

Riverside, CALIFORNIA

Sentenced to 20 years in prison.

July 5, 2007 - Daniel Metroka, 51, a California School for the Deaf teacher, was arrested and charged with four counts of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child.

The crimes did not involve any students at the school and did not occur at the school. There are allegedly more than one victim under the age of 14. He is being held on $1 million bond.
Full Name: Daniel Ray Metroka

Police ask anyone with additional information to call Riverside Police Detective Roberta Hopewell at 951-353-7124 or CHP Officer Brian Renfro at 951-637-8000.

July 6 - Metroka is married. He will be arraigned July 19.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULED (June 24, 2008) A Preliminary Hearing is scheduled for 07/11/2008.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 23, 2008 - Metroka pleaded guilty to four counts of committing a lewd or lascivious act and was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to molesting two girls, age 5 and 7, that he and his wife were babysitting.

Zanesville, OHIO

Another one of those, "Gee, should we let him teach our middle schoolers, or no??" Hmmmm

July 12, 2008 - After entering a no contest plea to one count of disorderly conduct, Jay Myers, 46, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Roosevelt Middle School and the varsity softball coach at Bishop Rosecrans High School, was sentenced to 30 days of community service and a year of probation.

He was originally cited for public indecency for recklessly engaging in a sexual conduct in a public area after being found in a van engaging in sexual acts with a prostitute.

Sitting in for Judge William Joseph, Perry County Court Judge Dean Wilson told Myers that he needed to keep in check his "moral compass."
...
Wilson told Myers that he places no higher value on anything in his life then his family and he believes that Myers should do the same thing.

"But I understand that when this incident happened, it should have been a very joyous time in your life with your children," Wilson told Myers. "Instead it was a very upsetting time. I'm not sure there is a greater punishment then what you have put yourself through by causing pain to your family."

School superintendent Terry Martin said he would be in touch with the Ohio Department of Education with regards to the charge and said, "We'll see which direction they think we should go."

Meyers is married and has children.

VOTE TO FIRE August 20 - The board voted last week to fire Meyers. He has requested a hearing before the board.

License Revocations

The Columbus Dispatch performs a valuable public service by publishing the names and legal histories of teachers who have their licenses revoked.

The State Board of Education voted to permanently revoke licenses for three.

Fayette, OHIO

INDICTED April 3, 2008 - Tabatha Fidler, 27, a health and physical education instructor at Gorham Fayette High School, was indicted this week by a Williams County grand jury with one count of sexual battery for sexual conduct with a 16-year-old boy.

Fidler was placed on paid administrative leave in January, when the district was first made aware of the accusations against her. She is accused of having sex with the boy last June in her home. She is due to appear in court April 10th.

NOT GUILTY PLEA April 10 - Fidler pleaded not guilty.

NBC 24 found Fidler's profile on a teacher website. In it she says that she's an athlete and that if she could change one thing in her life, it would be to not be so "boy crazy."

Fidler is a single mother, raising a son. Her husband died suddenly last Christmas.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for April 30.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 16 - Fidler changed her plea from not guilty to guilty in June after a second charge was added.

The first charge was based on accusations that she had sexual contact with a boy on one occasion in June, 2007, at her former home in Montpelier, Ohio.

The other charge was based on earlier incidents with an 18-year-old student in April and May, 2004, when she taught in the North Central School District in Pioneer, Ohio.

The earlier incidents arose through anonymous letters and e-mails sent to the county prosecutor's office, county Prosecutor Thomas A. Thompson said.

She was sentenced on two felonious sexual battery convictions to two concurrent three-year prison terms.
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LEGAL INFO: (from story) Under Ohio law, sexual battery includes engaging in sexual conduct when the offender is a teacher and the other person is a minor.—in this case, a 16-year-old boy. The charge is a third-degree felony. Each charge carries a prison term ranging from one to five years.

Robstown, TEXAS

Nov 21, 2006 - Jesse Hastey, 30, Robstown High School science teacher, was denied bond reduction. He was under arrest for two felony counts of an improper relationship between an educator and a student. Actually four students in this report.

During a bond reduction hearing, requested by Hastey's attorney, prosecutors introduced another accusation of improper sexual activity with a student by Hastey plus a charge of sexual assault of a child.
Full Name: Jesse Julian Hastey

The court had set his bond for $250,000.

Prosecutors say Hastey engaged in sexual activities with a former 15-year-old student who also was a member of the cross country team.

"The suspect would pick her up at home early in the morning," stated an arrest affidavit describing accounts from the accuser. "Twice the suspect took her to his house before practice where they had sexual intercourse

From Corpus Christi Caller-Times: Consensual sex with anyone 17 or older is not illegal in Texas, because 17-year-olds are considered to be adults. But a law passed in 2003 prohibits school employees from intentionally or knowingly engaging in sexual acts with students. The offense, which is punishable by as many as 20 years in prison, is considered a second-degree felony. law

HIV TESTING (Dec 7, 2006 ) Released on bond, the judge ordered Hastey to undergo HIV and drug testing and obey a 9 p.m. curfew. One of his alleged victims, a 17-year-old student told investigators she had unprotected sex with Hastey on two occasions and later learned she had contracted two sexually transmitted diseases

2007 TRIAL RESCHEDULED August 29, 2007 - Hastey's trial has been rescheduled to September 11.

2008 GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 24, 2008 - Hastey pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining an improper relationship with one of his former students. As part of the plea agreement, the former RHS teacher will surrender his educator certification for the state of Texas and serve 10 years of deferred adjudication.

Unlike standard probation, Hastey could be sentenced to as many as 20 years in prison, the maximum punishment for the second-degree felony, if he violates this type of probation

Prosecutor Sandra Eastwood said Hastey’s two former students had not wanted to deal with testifying about the incidents in a public trial and wanted the case resolvedNueces County

Chula Vista, CALIFORNIA

July 25, 2008 - Armando Rodriguez, 34, a teacher from Castle Park High School, was arrested on suspicion of molesting a 16-year-old female student at the school.

Rodriguez pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to seven misdemeanor counts of annoying or molesting a child. He is accused of “french-kissing” the girl on seven occasions, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Anyone with additional information about Rodriguez is asked to contact Chula Vista police Detective Ruth Hinzman at (619) 691-5014.
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Chula Vista Police Press Release (dated July 25, 2008)
Chula Vista Google map

North Caldwell, NEW JERSEY

Mar 23, 2007 - Michelle Morano, 33, English teacher from West Essex High School has been arrested and charged with having a sexual relationship with a male student that began last year when he was 17.

According to a news release issued by the Attorney General's office, Morano's involvement with the student came to light when the Office of Insurance Fraud was conducting an unrelated investigation at the school.

New Jersey Attorney General Press Release dated Mar 23, 2007

NOT GUILTY PLEA Apr 4 - Morano pleaded not guilty. The student made the allegations while under investigation in an auto theft ring involving students at the school. (He was never charged with any offense.) The state Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor filed the sexual assault complaint after interviewing the student during the course of the auto theft investigation.
Morano is married with two children. She has been suspended with pay. She posted $200,000 bail shortly after her arrest. Her attorney says, "She's confident that when all the facts are known, she will be exonerated."

SENTENCED (sorta) July 25, 2008 - Morano pleaded guilty last month to twice having sex with a 17-year-old special education student beginning in late 2006. Morano was sentenced to three years' probation instead of the one-year jail term sought by a prosecutor.

"There is a difference between justice and vengeance," said lowercase judge Donald J. Volkert Jr. said as he sentenced Michelle Morano, who sat before him with her head bowed.

The mother said her family had been pleased that Morano showed interest in their son and had promised to work with him.

"She told me she was different from the other teachers because she cared about the whole child," said the sobbing mother as Morano stared straight ahead. "We believed her. We trusted her."

TT - A 33-year-old woman preying on a special education student? That doesn't call for jail time?

Newsoms, VIRGINIA

A former Teacher of the Year pleads guilty to manslaughter for crash that killed her 6-year-old son. She had been using both alcohol and marijuana.

April 12, 2008 - Rebecca Whitehurst, a teacher at Meherrin Elementary School, pleaded guilty Thursday to involuntary vehicular manslaughter. Prosecutors agreed not to pursue charges of child neglect, failure to secure a minor in a vehicle and failure to wear a seat.

She had been found guilty of the DUI and restraint charges but was appealing both verdicts. A state toxicologist testified in November that test results indicated Whitehurst had been using both alcohol and marijuana sometime prior to the wreck.

She had been named Teacher of the Year for the 2005-2006 school year. Her son was a first-grade student at the school. She will be sentenced July 3.
Full Name: Rebecca Duncan Whitehurst

SENTENCED July 25 - Whitehurst was sentenced to seven years in jail - not prison -, with five suspended, in connection with the death of her 6-year-old son.

Her case prompted a re-evaluation by the Southampton County Board of Supervisors of its drug and alcohol policies. In February, supervisors agreed unanimously to adopt more stringent rules regarding drug testing and vehicle use.

At least two supervisors publicly chided the School Board for not following suit, suggesting that supervisors should "set an example" for the School Board by beefing up the county's policy. Currently the only School Board employees subject to random drug testing are those who hold commercial driver's licenses, such as bus drivers.

The judge also sentenced her to 12 months in jail on the DUI charge but suspended that sentence as well.

Busy Month

Catholic school principal arrested for outdoor sex.
MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK
July 16, 2008 - Gabriel De Jesus, 41, principal of Mount Vernon's Sacred Heart School for the Arts, was arrested, charged with public lewdness, trespassing and disorderly conduct, for having sex on July 13 with two men outside an empty house in Greenburgh. Police are still searching for a man they say fled naked from the outdoor group sex scene.

Sacred Heart School for the Arts is an Catholic elementary school.

Assistant principal charged with theft of class photo sales money
LUBBOCK, TEXAS
July 17, 2008 - Cloris A. Tiffin, 53, assistant principal at Wolffarth Elementary School, who resigned in the spring was arrested June 12 for stealing money from a locked filing cabinet on campus. In April, a surveillance camera filmed Tiffin entering a classroom where cash from candy and class photos sales were kept in a locked cabinet.An aide reported $120 missing a few hours later. Five days later, school police say a camera recorded Tiffin attempting to open that filing cabinet, but no money was taken.

Tiffin was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of theft by a public servant.

L.A. high school principal posed as girl
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
July 4, 2008 - Randolph Cornfield, 60, principal of Del Rey Continuation School, was arrested in June when investigators found images of child pornography on his home computer. Police were tipped off by man who reported meeting a 12-year-old girl in an online chat room who made "very crude, sexually graphic statements," said Deputy Dist. Atty. Marc Beaart of the district attorney's High Technology Crimes Division. Police were worried that there might be a 12-year-old out there that was being sexualized and possibly molested, and trolling for adult male partners. They found Cornfield.

Cornfield has been charged with two counts of possession of child pornography.

State auditor's investigation leads to theft charges
WASHINGTON, IOWA
July 21, 2008 - Washington Junior High School Principal Monte Davis, 43, pleaded guilty in to second-degree theft and four counts of felonious misconduct in office, all Class D felonies. He was ordered to repay $16,000 in restitution. He received concurrent five-year prison terms for each charge, both suspended, and three years of probation. Oh, and, 100 hours of community service.

Murder trial delayed
CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA
July 25, 2008
Arrested in February for the murder of his wife, assistant principal at Great Bridge High School Wesley Earnest, 38, is scheduled for trial on Monday. However, no pre-trial motions have been entered or heard. So the trial will not start as planned. Entry for Earnest.

Griffin, INDIANA

While we're on a roll on principals here, we get a chance to bring back one of our personal favorites. Complete with update.

Principal and wife arrested for battery. On each other, this time. Banham resigns.

Dec 30, 2006 - Michael Banham, 36, principal of Calumet High School was arrested for chasing his wife and shooting at her. He is charged with three counts of battery, three counts of criminal recklessness and one count of intimidation. A passenger in his car was charged with public intoxication.

UPDATE: Jan 2, 2007 - Banham was suspended by the Lake Ridge school system.

UPDATE: Jan 8, 2007 - The wife, Nichole Banham, is an exotic dancer at the Deja Vu strip club. "Nichole was performing under the name Mariah at a strip club in 2000 when Banham, then a Hammond High English teacher, walked into her life." The incident occurred on her 29th birthday.

He is scheduled to appear Friday to answer to felony battery, intimidation and reckless driving charges. Chicago Sun-Times wonders, "Did principal shoot at his stripper wife?"

TT - Makes you wonder how she fit in at school functions.

UPDATE Jan 9 - Banham has been ordered to stay away from the school and students. He has been suspended. Still some parents wondered why the restraining orders of his recent past did not raise red flags.

The estranged wife of Banham said last week that the principal had anxiety and anger management issues and that the two had an "extreme" history that involved drugs, double personalities, abuse, and psychiatric treatment. Banham and his attorney declined to comment on those allegations.

[School district attorney Monica J] Conrad declined to confirm rumors that Banham might be getting a buy-out from the district.

ARRESTED Feb 17- Banham and his wife were both arrested for battery. Some drug paraphernalia also was in the home, neither claimed it. Child Protective Services took custody of the child.

RESIGNED Apr 10 - Banham formally resigned as principal of Calumet High School Monday just hours before a public hearing to discuss his firing.

THE ABSOLUTE LATEST July 25, 2008 - In a story about the resignation of the third principal of Calumet High School, (they've hired five principals in seven years) the newspaper mentions that Michael Banham is serving a 10-year probation for dealing in cocaine.

He got the fabulous deal on the felony charge in April after pleading guilty to to a charge of dealing cocaine to a Gary police informant. Branham testified against Gary resident Richard Kelly in Kelly's trial last year. Kelly was one of two other defendants in the same case who faced possession and dealing drug charges. Kelly was given 18 years.

TT - Banham lost his teaching license, which in any other state would be a given, but it's Indiana. Lake Ridge School District (Griffin) is rated 3 at GreatSchools.net. And if you want the lowdown on Gary, Indiana, check this entry out. Our mistake. Thank you.

Decatur, INDIANA

Fire him or, no?
Gee, maybe we should think about this..... hmmmm

July 25, 2008 - Chris Hakes, Vice Principal at a Decatur school for the past eight years, in charge of disciplining the students, was arrested for shoplifting a jump drive at WalMart. On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor theft. He was sentenced to a year of probation, ordered to undergo counseling and stay out of every WalMart for a year.

Residents are wondering if he is a role model for the students at Bellmont Middle School.

Hakes is the second area educator this month to plead guilty to a crime. Last week, former Wayne High School Assistant Principal Kristopher Sennett pleaded guilty to two counts of child seduction, admitting to having had sex with a student this year. He will be sentenced in September. Entry

Ft. Wayne, INDIANA

"I feel so grown up. i can't believe I am only 17!."
This is just so thrilling for our steely-eyed vice principal.

Feb 27, 2008 - Kristopher Sennett, 36, assistant principal at Ft. Wayne High School, was arrested and faces two counts of child seduction. He was suspended with pay last week after admitting to police he was "having a relationship" with a 17-year old student.

The relationship came to light after the girl's parents found e-mails and a Valentine's Day card from Sennett. He previously was a teacher for several years at Indianapolis' New Beginnings Alternative High School
Full Name: Kristopher James Sennett

E-mail transcripts (PDF) released by Ft. Wayne Community Schools
TT - Parents pay taxes for this.

From Indiana News Center: According to state law, child seduction occurs when a person at least 18 years old and in a supervisory role, such as school district worker, has sex or engages in sexual acts with a child who is at least 16 but younger than 18.

RESTRAINING ORDER Feb 29 - The parent of the child filed a restraining order against Sennett. It's active for two years, unless Sennett argues to the judge it should be overturned.

FIRED March 24 - Sennett was fired after a 20-second vote by the school board. He will be in court in April.

GUILTY PLEA July 19 - Sennett pleaded guilty to two counts of child seduction, both Class D felonies. He will have to register as a sex offender under Indiana law for the next 10 years. He will be sentenced September 26.

Speaking so softly he was often told to repeat himself, Sennett admitted to having sex with the girl as well as engaging in deviate sexual conduct. Because he pleaded guilty without the benefit of a plea agreement, Sennett can appeal any sentence imposed by Surbeck.
Sennett’s pregnant wife accompanied him to court.

Arlington, WASHINGTON

It's not the first time he has been accused.

July 24, 2008 - Mark Brown, 37, principal at Highland Christian School, was arrested charged with third-degree child rape. He is accused of encouraging a 14-year-old girl to run away from home and providing a room for her at the school.

The girl told detectives Brown had sexual contact with her at the school in a room he set up with a hide-a-bed and a television, according to court documents.

Over the past three months, "the two have exchanged hundreds of text messages and phone calls. Some of these encouraged (the girl) to run away from home, and promised that the defendant would provide her a place to stay if she did," Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Mark Roe wrote in court papers.

Detectives tracked down the girl by tracing her cell phone. She initially denied sexual contact, but later allegedly told her mother that Brown had touched her sexually while she was hiding out at the high school, according to court papers. Brown was arrested July 9 for investigation of harboring a runaway.

Detectives said they found no text messages indicating the girl was suicidal or that Brown was trying to talk her out of running away or hurting herself, according to the search warrant.Since his arrest earlier this month, Brown allegedly has called the girl, despite the no-contact order, and told her not to talk about the alleged sexual contact between them, Roe wrote.
Full Name: Mark Evan Brown

PREVIOUS INVESTIGATION (July 25) Herald.net on a previous investigation:

Before Mark Evan Brown, 37, was hired to lead Highland Christian School three years ago, he was a wrestling coach at Concrete High School in Skagit County. School officials there called Child Protective Services in March 2004 after allegations surfaced that Brown "had sexual contact with several female students," said Steve Williams, a spokesman for the state Department of Social and Health Services.

His contract was not renewed. Police are opening that investigation again.

His first wife began dating him when she was 14 and he was 26. They divorced after she after she discovered numerous text messages between him and a cheerleader at Concrete High School.

KING5: (July 25) Other women have come forward, claiming Brown also had sex with them when they were teenagers.

Roy, UTAH

CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES DISMISSED IN DISTRICT COURT

Jan 26, 2007 -
Kamron Klitgaard, 42, described as a "popular" drama teacher at Roy High School, was arrested on child pornography charges. He was booked on suspicion of sexual exploitation and distributing pornographic material. He faces two felony and 10 misdemeanor counts.

A two-month police investigation and a computer forensic examination revealed that computers he used at Roy High School and a computer at his home contained images of child pornography. He was put on unpaid leave on Jan 4. Parents and students were told it was because of an illness.

The Weber School District planned to fire Klitgaard on Feb. 1, after giving him 30 days' notice.

Klitgaard has a wife, three young daughters and a newborn son.
Photo is a police booking photo.

CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES DISMISSED July 25, 2008 - Prosecutors have asked to dismiss child pornography charges against Klitgaard. They made the decision "in the interests of justice."

Upper Marlboro, MARYLAND

"Parents in [Yonkers, NY] school district were not surprised to hear that former schools chief Andre Hornsby had been convicted Wednesday on corruption charges in Maryland."

Oct 11, 2007 - Jury selection for the federal trial of former Prince George’s County schools CEO André J. Hornsby, 53, is expected to begin Tuesday morning at U.S. District Court in Greenbelt.

Hornsby was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2006 for allegedly arranging to receive more than $100,000 in kickbacks while serving as school CEO. He pleaded not guilty in September 2006 to seven counts of wire fraud, five counts of mail fraud, one count of evidence tampering, two counts of witness tampering and one count of obstruction of justice.

Among the allegations, Hornsby is accused of receiving money in 2004 from a $1.3 million school system grant to computer software company LeapFrog Enterprises Inc., where his then-girlfriend, Sienna Owens, was a sales representative. Owens, 29, pleaded guilty in November to felony tax offense related to the LeapFrog deal and is cooperating with prosecutors. Owens admitted to giving Hornsby $10,000 in sales commissions after he arranged for the school contract to be awarded to the company.

In December 2004, Hornsby, then a Mitchellville resident, was allegedly caught by federal undercover surveillance putting $1,000 in his shirt pocket in a Bowie hotel room in what prosecutors described as a scheme to steer Prince George’s school contracts to private companies. In the video, Hornsby was meeting with a government informant, according to prosecutors.

The informant, who is not named in court documents, worked for Hornsby when he headed the Houston Unified School District in Texas from 1995 to 1998 and again when he was chief of the Yonkers, N.Y., public school system from 1998 to 2000, when he was fired after a tumultuous relationship with the city’s mayor and teacher union leaders.

Hornsby was the Prince George’s school CEO from April 2003 until his resignation in May 2005.
Other problems.

The county’s former elected school board had been disbanded by the state legislature in 2002 after years of infighting and allegations of misuse of county credit cards. In addition, former Prince George’s school board member Nathaniel B. Thomas, who was elected to an at-large seat in November, is scheduled to go to trial Oct. 23 on a third-degree sexual offense charge for an alleged relationship he had with a former county student who was 15 at the time.

TT - Link for Thomas

JURY DEADLOCKED Nov 22 - The jury for Hornsby was deadlocked. The judge ordered them to continue deliberations. Mistrial declared.

RETRIAL SCHEDULED Dec 15 - Federal prosecutors have announced that they will retry Hornsby On June 10.

VIDEO RELEASED Jan 2, 2008 - The FBI released a portion of the video survelliance tape of Hornsby accepting money from the education consultant.

GUILTY VERDICT July 25 - A jury in Maryland convicted Hornsby on six of 22 federal corruption charges. Jurors convicted Hornsby of wire fraud, attempted evidence tampering and obstruction of justice. They acquitted him of two charges and deadlocked on 14 others.

The Yonkers perspective where Hornsby used to be school chief before he was fired in 2000:

Though no charges were brought against Hornsby in Yonkers, parents and administrators had been concerned about his dealings here. Hornsby, 54, was the subject of three investigations by the city's inspector general during the time he oversaw city schools from July 1998 to June 2000.

There were no charges," Martha Hurban, a Yonkers resident and mother of two children, said, "but there were definitely findings of wrongdoing."

In 2000, the inspector general also criticized Hornsby for improper hiring practices. Information from the investigations was turned over to then-Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who later said there was insufficient evidence to proceed. Hornsby will be sentenced October 20.

TT - Be sure to read the story comments.

Charlotte, NORTH CAROLINA

Stolen guns and two pounds of marijuana.

July 25, 2008 - Charles Coleman, 23, head basketball coach at Albemarle Road Middle School, was fired after after he was arrested inside a home with stolen guns and two pounds of marijuana.

Coleman was arrested when they raided a house where police suspected residents were selling stolen guns. Coleman isn't accused of selling or being involved in the burglary that produced the guns. He's charged with with felony possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and possessing a stolen firearm.

WCNC sources say Coleman was hired because he had a friend in the administration.

Coleman did pass a required Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools background check, but investigators say that's because he lied on his application. Long before his difficulties this week, he settled a minor drug charge late last year. CMS law enforcement says had that blemish surfaced, he would have never been hired. They frankly admit Coleman just by them.

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WE FOUND: Albemarle Road Middle School rates a 3 at GreatSchools.net. The school population is 64% Black, 21% Hispanic and 77% of the students are eligible for a free lunch. If the test scores don't convince you how bad this school is, the parent comments will shatter you.

These are children who need good role models and steady influences to succeed in life. Not miscreants in the classroom. Previous Rant about the district.

Springfield, MISSOURI

Maybe Disney should start a new series called "Desperate Teachers."

July 25, 2008 - Laura Kirkland, 25, a fifth-grade teacher for Christian Schools of Springfield, was arrested for rape and sodomy of an 11-year-old boy she was babysitting over a two-year period, starting when he was 8.

Kirkland was charged with two counts of statutory sodomy with a person less than 14 years old and one count of statutory rape with a person less than 14 years old.

The probable cause statement says Kirkland admitted to a Springfield police officer that she performed oral sex on the minor three times and had sexual intercourse twice when the victim was 10 years old.

Christian Schools of Springfield is operated by the Baptist Temple Church. A preliminary is scheduled for August 26.

Urbana, ILLINOIS

July 25, 2008 - Cameron Belk, 40, a teacher's aide in a special-needs classroom at Urbana Middle School, was convicted by a jury on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, despite his contention that he thought the young woman he was having sex with was 17 or older.

The girl was 16 and worked for him in his store. Belk was arrested on Oct. 2, 2006, at Urbana Middle School, where he worked as a teacher's aide.
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TT - Urbana has been in the news in the last few years. Jon White was sentenced to 60 years in April for sexual abuse of his elementary school students in two different districts. Brian Dyson, 31, is currently serving five years after pleading guilty to a single count of criminal sexual assault for engaging in a sex act with a 14-year-old girl at Urbana Middle School between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14, 2005.
Link is to TT entry.

In August, 2007, Yuri Ermakov, 27, a University Laboratory High School assistant track coach,was sentenced to 12 years prison for engaging in a sex act with a 15-year-old girl.
Link is to TT entry.

Redding, CALIFORNIA

Teacher's communications with student investigated.

July 25, 2008 - An unnamed female teacher at Enterprise High School is being investigated for inappropriate correspondence with a 17-year-old male student. The case has been sent to the Shasta County district attorney for possible prosecution.

The teacher was placed on administrative leave in late May after schooll officials learned that the teacher may have been e-mailing notes and sending photos of herself to a student. Her contract with the district was not renewed The student’s mother told police that the boy allegedly had received text messages from the teacher with details of her divorce and her kissing abilities.

He also allegedly received photos of the teacher in her underwear and one in which she was “crawling across a bed,” the search warrant stated. The student had deleted the texts and photos from his phone before he talked to investigators, according to the warrant.

TT - Yet another example of why all schools should have policies prohibiting private communications between a teacher and a student whether it is text messaging or on social networking sites. Two districts in Mississippi did just that this week. Entry

If the teacher finds it a necessity to communicate with a student, it should be through school computers where the contacts can be monitored.

Sea Cliff, NEW JERSEY

July 25, 2008 - Grady Hampton, 22, a teacher's aide, was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder in the Dec. 18 shooting of Kareem Sapp, 19, who was shot as he moved clothes in his car out of the way for Hampton's girlfriend to sit.

Hampton was a teacher's aide at SCO Family of Services in Sea Cliff, where he worked with developmentally disabled children. SCO is one of the largest not-for-profit child and family services agencies in New York State. He was ordered held without bail.

Gonzales, CALIFORNIA

July 25, 2008 - Craig Dinwiddie, 52, a Spanish teacher at Gonzales High School, was arrested and charged with seven counts of possession of child pornography, two for distribution; two counts of annoying children and one count of possession of marijuana.

Alerted on May 28 when someone reported that child pornography had been sent to two people from an unknown Internet user in Gonzales, police tracked the account to Dinwiddie in early June. They served a search warrant for Dinwiddie's home and confiscated computers, memory sticks, photographs and other items and sent them to the Salinas Police Department crime lab for analysis. It took about a month to go through all of the digital information.

None of the minors in the pornography is a local resident, but police seized a number of photos of local teenagers that "seemed inappropriate." Police Chief Paul Miller said the investigation took some time because police sought to identify and interview the local youths in the photos that Dinwiddie allegedly took without their knowledge. The subjects in the photos were fully clothed, but the images "focused on various parts of the body," he said.

KSWB: (July 24) Police: Teacher Distributed Child Porn

NOT GUILTY PLEA August 2 - Dinwiddie pleaded not guilty to two felony charges for distributing and possessing child pornography. (Police originally reported that Dinwiddie had been arrested on misdemeanor charges of annoying or molesting a child and marijuana possession. Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Hulsey said the charges are under investigation and additional counts could be filed. )

He was on paid administrative leave. Under state law, that status becomes unpaid leave when criminal charges are filed involving crimes against children.

PRELIMINARY WAIVED October 28 - Dinwiddie waived his right to a preliminary hearing this morning and will head straight toward trial on felony and misdemeanor child pornography charges. He will be arraigned on November 20 and a trial date will be set.

Salem, VIRGINIA

The original plea agreement called for three years probation, but Botetourt the judge increased it to five. After consulting with Yates, the defense attorney asked the judge to keep the agreement unchanged, but the judge refused, angrily telling Yates, "I was a former teacher."




Dec 17, 2007 -
Christopher Yates, 30, band director of Glenvar High School, was arrested, charged with taking indecent liberties with a female student.

His bond is set at $12,000, pending at hearing at Jan 22.

Roanoke County police say they're investigating an allegation against Yates there as well. It could result in additional charges. The events are alleged to have occurred from July 1st to October 4th of this year.
Full Name: Christopher Matthew Yates
Nickname: Matt Yates

INDEFINITE LEAVE Dec 18 - According to the school administration, Yates has been put on "indefinite leave." Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle confirmed for News-7 the alleged victim in this case actually lived with Yates and his wife. Yates is due back in court on January 22.

PLEA AGREEMENT April 17, 2008 - WBDJ 7 is reporting that

The Commonwealth's Attorney has reached an agreement with the former teacher so that he will plead guilty to a felony in July.

The Troutville resident will be sentenced to three years, but will only serve six months under the agreement. Once Yates gets out, he will be on probation and have to register as a sex offender.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING (sorta) July 25 - Yates pleated guilty to a felony count of taking indecent liberties with a minor. He was sentenced to three years in prison with all but six months suspended, and five years of supervised probation after his release. Yates will also have to register as a sex offender.

Summarizing the evidence against Yates, Assistant Botetourt Commonwealth's Attorney Hilary Griffith said the girl had been abandoned by her parents and was living with her sister in Salem, but her sister threw her out.

Yates and his wife took her into their home and obtained legal custody of her. At first, Yates and the girl had a relationship like that of a father and daughter, but the relationship turned sexual after she moved in with him.

The original plea agreement called for three years probation, but Botetourt Circuit Court Judge Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo increased it to five. After consulting with Yates, the defense attorney asked the judge to keep the agreement unchanged, but the judge refused, angrily telling Yates, "I was a former teacher.

After a brief break in the hearing, Yates agreed to the new terms.

Yates was briefly granted a furlough when his wife gave birth in July.

OurValley.org: (July 24) - Former Glenvar band director sentenced for having sex with student

“I want to publicly apologize. I’ve spoken to some of my close friends, and have gained their forgiveness, but I haven’t been able to speak to the Glenvar community…or to my band students. I’m very sorry,” Yates said to the group of friends, Glenvar Band Boosters and other supporters in the courtroom. His wife and newborn baby were among them.

Although the Virginia sentencing guidelines did not call for any jail sentence, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Hilary Griffith said she asked for jail time since Yates was acting as a substitute parent for the girl.

TT - We'll take flak for this, but...
There's seems to be a pathological moral deficiency in many band boosters. We aren't sure if this is because band directors become surrogate parents for their children and the adults are in full denial of the harm done by the band instructor. Or if they really are rah rah nitwits completely lacking in a moral compass and a lack of social responsibility.

But there's something unwholesome about such support long after it becomes apparent that the band director or band teacher is flagrantly guilty of sexual abuse of someone entrusted to his care.

We've frequently seen demonstrations of the same moral vacuity in supporters when the teacher is a drama instructor.

Columbus, OHIO

Feb 26, 2008 - Kevin M. Chapman, 51, an art teacher boys swim coach at Upper Arlington High School was arrested today and charged with two counts of rape and one of sexual battery.

He was arrested in the high school office about 2:15 p.m. The district was unaware of the investigation before police arrived at the school. Chapman was charged based on incidents in 1996 and 1997. The victim was a girl who was 15 at the time.

Chapman has worked for the district since 1989. District records say he was paid $81,616.

Upper Arlington police ask anyone who contends they were a victim of Chapman to contact them at 614-583-5160.

BOND - Feb 27 - A judge ordered Chapman held on $25,000 bond.

After the hearing, Chapman's attorney said he had concerns about why the now 28-year-old woman brought the allegations to light, Hirsch reported.

TT - How about because she grew up and got the courage to confront the creep? How about a 15-year-old student sexually abused by a then-38 or 39 year old teacher isn't up to confronting authority? And how come attorneys for priests never questioned the motives of victims?

POSSIBLE PLEA AGREEMENT May 7 - Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said Chapman has agreed to plead guilty to to sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor charges for having sex with a former student in the 1990s. The agreement came a day after Chapman resigned from the school district. He is is expected to enter the plea on May 19.
---
No online press release yet from the Franklin County Prosecutor's office.

SHOCK AT PLEA May 8 - "The shock that was felt by dozens of Upper Arlington students and families became all the more real Wednesday, May 7." - when they found out that Chapman agreed to plead guilty. Chapman resigned Wednesday (May 6) before agreeing to plead guilty to the charges made against him. He had been on paid administrative leave since the arrest, with a full-time replacement hired for him last month.

GUILTY PLEA May 19 - Chapman pleaded guilty to one count each of sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

The teacher has admitted having sex with the student at least three times in one year in classrooms at Upper Arlington High School, [Assistant County Prosecutor Daniel] Hawkins said.

He will be sentenced July 11.

SENTENCED July 15 - Chapman was sentenced to five years in prison. for the sexual battery and 18 months for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor to run concurrently.

The victim read a statement.

"I was only 15; I had never even been kissed by a boy," the woman said, reading from a seven-page statement. "Chapman had talked so much about his sexual escapades from college that I thought that maybe this is what cool college kids do and that maybe he really liked me the most or was even falling in love with me."

The judge said his supporters, including those who wrote letters, don't understand the abuse the woman endured. "There is another side here. We have an adult who was preying on her," Pfeiffer said. "Prison is the only appropriate response."

It is likely that Chapman will be a registered sex offender, but the judge will allow arguments that the that the law cannot be applied to a crime that was committed before it was enacted.

Staten Island, NEW YORK

March 7, 2008 - Christopher Gordon, 23, a teacher's aide, was arrested on charges that he sexually assaulted a female student at Oakdale Academy, a private school. He is charged with sex abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.

According to law enforcement sources, Gordon allegedly rubbed his penis on the 5-year-old victim between Jan. 1 and March 5. Gordon is accused of playing 'the doctor game' with the girl in the bathroom. The incident came to light when the girl told her mother, who in turn filed a report with police.

Detectives believe there may be other victims and are asking anyone to contact the Staten Island Special Victims Unit. [No number provided.]

June 17 - Gordon pleaded guilty to count of first-degree sex abuse for molesting a 5-year-old student. He will be sentenced July 16.

Gordon was accused of five instances of abuse in which he allegedly made his young victim sit on his lap and bounce or stand with her back against the wall while he rubbed his genitals on her inside the bathroom of the Oakdale Academy on Victory Boulevard.

He was fired immediately after his arrest.

The plea agreement calls for 2 1/2 years in prison, followed by 3-10 years of post-release supervision. He will have to register as a sex offender. Gordon is married with children of his own.

SENTENCED July 16 - Gordon was sentenced to two and one-half years in state prison. Justice Leonard P. Rienzi also ordered Gordon to spend 10 years under post-release supervision and register as a sex offender.

Ijamsville, MARYLAND

INDICTED March 2, 2008 - James Steel, 55, a long-time substitute at Windsor Knolls Middle School, was indicted on a charge of child sexual abuse.

Steel was arrested Jan 21 on an initial charge involving prurient intent. Both charges stem from an incident Oct. 22 in which he followed one of his 12-year-old students into the boys’ bathroom and watched him urinate. A trial is scheduled for the purient incident charge on March 26.
Full Name: James Richard Steel

March 5 - Documents reveal details about teacher accused of sexual abuse, including Steel telling investigators he stared at a pupil's private parts and said he would not trust himself to enter a boys bathroom again, according to charging documents.

Charging Documents PDF [VERY large file. 7.67 MB and slow loading.]
Letter sent home to parents PDF

May 11 - Trial scheduled for July 17.
CTS

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 17 - Moments after a long-term substitute teacher pleaded no contest to leering at a 12-year-old boy in a middle school restroom, he proclaimed his innocence. Assistant State's Attorney Lindell K. Angel offered him the chance to change his mind and have his case go to trial. His lawyer said the statement was allocution.

The plea was allowed to stand. He was sentenced to a six-month jail suspended sentence and placed on five years of supervised probation.

Had the case gone to trial, sheriff's deputies would have testified Steel told them he would not trust himself to enter a boys bathroom, blaming bisexual tendencies for watching the child urinate Oct. 22 at Windsor Knolls Middle School, Assistant State's Attorney Lindell K. Angel said.

Farley, IOWA

Feb 18, 2008 - Dale Soppe, a Western Dubuque School District teacher in the 1960s, will go on trial in July for indecent behavior with a child and enticing a child for immoral purpose. The case dates back to 1969.

The student is 51 years old now. He was 13 and a student in Iowa where Soppe was his teacher. After he moved to Wisconsin, Soppes visited the boy. That is where the sexual abuse for which Soppe is being charged happened. Soppe was 34 years old at the time. He is 72 now.

Wisconsin’s statute of limitations should have expired years ago. But it didn’t, and authorities say Soppe’s Iowa residency is the reason. When a suspect leaves Wisconsin the statute of limitations pauses. That stopped clock allowed prosecutors to file charges in 2006.

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TT - The sexual abuse began in Iowa, but the statue of limitations prevented prosecution in that state.

Former teacher charged with molesting boy in Wisconsin (dated May 11, 2006)
Soppe, who wrote two books and later left teaching to become a therapist, studied for the priesthood for several years, according to biographical information in one of his books.

Former Area Teacher Will Go to Trial for Sexually Abusing Boy (dated Feb 19 2008)
Soppe also taught at Xavier High School in Dyersville.

Reminder: The location is the school or school district. Dates are publication dates. Soppes will be prosecuted in Wisconsin. He taught in Iowa. When and why he left teaching is a good question.

SENTENCED (sorta) July 17 - Soppe was found guilty of fourth-degree sexual assault, and a second count was dismissed in Barron County, Wis. A judge sentenced him to 60 days in jail - not prison - a $1,000 fine and required Soppe to register as a sex offender and undergo sex-offender evaluation and follow-up treatment.

TT - Sixty days in jail. At least he will have to register as a sex offender.

Milwaukee, WISCONSIN

July 17, 2008 - Janet Miller, 58, a longtime educator and principal, was convicted of stealing more than $13,000 from the Maryland Avenue Montessori School, was sentenced Thursday to serve three years of probation.

Miller retired in December, in the midst of the criminal investigation and disciplinary proceedings by MPS. In May, she pleaded guilty to a felony charge of misconduct in public office

She told Milwaukee County Circuit Judge William Sosnay that she stole the money to support an addiction to gambling.

“My name is Janet Miller, and I am a compulsive gambler,” she told Sosnay.

TT - It's easier than admitting to being a thief.

Charleston, WEST VIRGINIA

Parents are wondering how a bank robber was hired at their middle school.

April 23, 2008 - Melissa A. Brown, 28, a third-year art teacher at Stonewall Jackson Middle School, and her brother, were arrested after they allegedly robbed a Cabell County bank. Police say they also admitted robbing a City National Bank the week before. They are also under investigation for an April 1 bank robbery in St. Albans.

Melissa Brown drove the getaway car.

Melissa and Jeremy Brown were arraigned Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Huntington, where they pleaded not guilty. She was suspended with pay.

GUILTY PLEA July 17 - Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting bank robbery. Brown's brother, Jeremy Mark Brown, is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 19. She will be sentenced Oct. 14.

GUILTY PLEA August 18 - Jeremy Mark Brown pleaded guilty in federal court admitted to robbing two banks in April with his sister's help.

Warner Robins, GEORGIA

Teaching isn't limited to classroom instruction. The best teachers in the world teach by example.
The dumbest go back to jail for violating their probation. (updated July 2008)

June 7, 2007 - Mark Taylor, 43, a teacher at Northside Middle School, was arrested and charged with stalking, simple battery, harassing phone calls, and influencing a witness.

"A school adminstrator said Taylor was stalking, threatening, and making unwanted contact with a co-worker."
Full Name: Mark Steven Taylor

Update June 8 - Macon Telegraph reports that they searched court records and found Taylor had prior two misdemeanor convictions - for a family violence battery in 2003 and simple assault and harassing telephone calls in 2005. In each case, he received 12 months probation.
The school system was aware of Taylor's prior misdemeanor convictions and understood that the incidents were domestic in nature and that no children were involved, the spokeswoman said.

June 8 - Correction to state.

Update June 13 - School Superintendent Danny Carpenter recommended that Taylor be terminated.

In the June 12 letter to Taylor from Carpenter recommending termination, the school superintendent noted the criminal charges against Taylor. Carpenter also noted in his decision that Taylor continued discussing his personal relationships with students in spite of prior warnings from the superintendent not to do so.

Taylor may appeal the decision before the Board of Education at a called hearing July 30.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCE July 6 - Taylor pleaded guilty.

The agreement included a stipulation that Taylor would drop his appeal of his termination from the Houston County school system, the prosecutor said.

The other charges against Taylor of stalking, simple battery, making harassing phone calls and false imprisonment were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Taylor was sentenced to 60 days in jail and five years probation. He will be required to move out of Houston country for the duration of his probation.

OUT OF JAIL: July 23 - The Houston Daily Journal reports that after Taylor was sentenced to 60 days, he was given credit for time served and released that day. A personnel hearing is scheduled for July 30 with the school board.

NEW WARRANTS ISSUED: August 21 - On Aug. 13, warrants were taken out against Taylor for a new aggravated stalking charge against the same victim and violation of probation. Police have yet to locate him.

2008 ARRESTED Jan 3, 2008 - Taylor was arrested on a probation violation. Taylor's probation could be revoked in full because he was arrested in Houston County after being banished. Ashford said police picked Taylor up from his mother's Warner Robins home after receiving a tip about his whereabouts. He was wanted by police for failure to report to his probation officer.

Jan 4 - The Telegraph: Taylor also had an outstanding warrant issued in August for aggravated stalking after Warner Robins police investigated reports that Taylor had again stalked his former fiancee.

2008 SENTENCED July 18 - Taylor violated *nine conditions of his probation including contacting the victim and fleeing the state. A judge sent him back to prison for the remainder of his sentence, which is about 4 and a half years.

Monroe, NEW JERSEY

Oct 12, 2007 -
Victoria Blevins, 23, a physical education teacher at Monroe High School, has been charged with sexual assault of a female student and official misconduct.

She was arrested after the mother of a former female student at the school found an instant message on a computer suggesting that the student and teacher were having an inappropriate sexual relationship.

She was being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Anyone with tips should call Monroe Township Police detective Jason Grosser at (732) 521-0222, Ext. 147 or investigator James Kelly of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes Unit at (732) 745-3600.

NOT GUILTY PLEA Feb 8, 2008 - Blevins was in court but did not speak. A not guilty plea was entered on her behalf by an attorney for the New Jersey Education Association, the statewide teachers' union.

GUILTY PLEA April 18 - Blevins pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge of harassment Thursday after the victim in the case recanted. The student continues to contact Ms. Blevins. Blevins agreed to give up her teaching certificate. She can eventually reapply for it through the state.

Her attorney, G. Robert Wills of Princeton, a network attorney for the state teacher's union, said Blevins intends to join the military. She will be sentenced July 18.

UNCOOPERATIVE VICTIM & REDUCED CHARGES July 18 - Charges against a former Monroe High School gym teacher accused having a sexual relationship with a female student have been reduced because the alleged victim has refused to cooperate with investigators, prosecutor said in court today

SENTENCED Blevins was sentenced today to three years probation for a disorderly persons charge of harassment. Blevins apologized for the affair sordid sex with the girl and said she planned to enter the military.

Manhattan, KANSAS

We're considering a Parked Car Sex category.

March 28, 2008 - Katherine J. Harder, 32, was arrested when a Pottawatomie County deputy on patrol found her in a parked vehicle with a 17-year-old male student. She was arrested on probable cause of unlawful sexual relations.

Harder is a language arts teacher at Manhattan High School. She was in her third year of teaching at the school. Initially suspended with pay from her teaching duties, she later in the morning submitted her resignation, effective immediately.
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LEGAL (from story): Although teenagers can legally consent to sex at age 16, it is a felony offense in Kansas for teachers to have a consensual sexual relationship with a student of any age who attends the school where they work. Such offenses also are grounds for losing a teaching license.

The law was established in 1993 with amendments regarding teachers and student sexual relationships added in 2001 after a widely publicized case in which a Washington state teacher, Mary Kay Letourneau, engaged in multiple sexual incidents with a student who was 13 at the time.
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Apr 1 - Harder resigned, but rescinded her resignation. School board is to discuss her status at their meeting Wednesday night.

NO CONTEST PLEA AND SENTENCING (sorta) - July 18 - Harder pleaded no contest to one count of aggravated endangering a child - a felony. She was sentenced to six months in prison, which was suspended, and granted immediate probation for 12 months.

The charge of aggravated endangering a child is a more serious one than was initially levied, but it meant that Harder will not have to register as a sex offender, which the initial charge of unlawful sexual relations would have required.

West Milton, OHIO

His attorney said his client understands one thing now. “He needs to hang out with people his own age.” Ya think?

Nov 28, 2007 - Anthony Spahr, 28, assistant director of the Milton-Union High School band, was arrested. He was indicted on one count of sexual battery. He is accused of having a sexual relationship with a minor.

He was not a teacher in the district. Spahr passed a district background check before his hiring in a supplemental contract.

School officials recieved a call in October that said Spahr was involved with a minor. At their request, he resigned.

The investigation continues with additional charges possible. Video report suggests there is a second victim.

SECOND INDICTMENT Dec 7 - Spahr was indicted this week on a second sexual battery count alleging illegal sexual activity this summer with a 17-year-old girl, also in West Milton.

Before going to Milton-Union, Spahr worked with bands at Troy High School and Newton High School. Troy school officials said Spahr resigned from a similar job with the Troy band in 2002 following allegations of misconduct.

Troy Schools Superintendent Tom Dunn said Spahr resigned when told of an investigation into allegations he supplied alcohol to a band member during a band trip to England.

Separate allegations of sexual misconduct with a student also were made, according to a letter from a Troy school administrator to the county Educational Services Center. Spahr worked at Troy High School as an individual student aide through the services center.

He is scheduled for arraignment on the second charge Dec. 13.

ARRAIGNMENT Dec 13 - Spahr was arraigned. He pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual battery for alleged sexual conduct this summer with a 17-year-old girl in West Milton while employed as an assistant band director at Milton-Union schools.

Spahr already was being held on $20,000 bail set at his arraignment in November on another count of sexual battery. That charge alleges sexual activity with a 16-year-old girl at his apartment in West Milton. Sheriff's deputies and prosecutors said this week they continue to investigate Spahr and more charges are possible.

PLEA WITHDRAWN April 30 - Spahr has withdrawn his no contest pleas entered April 11 to two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Trial is set for June 4.

COMMENTS DIABLED May 10 for excess of unproductive rants. If you want to post something, send an e-mail.

SENTENCED July 19 Spahr was found guilty on the attempted gross sexual imposition charges in a plea agreement. Spahr was sentenced Friday to two years in prison (the maximum allowable term) and will be labeled a sex offender for the next 15 years.

The mother’s statement was read shortly after Spahr read a prepared statement of his own that expressed his remorse for what he had done to those “two young ladies.”

But sentencing Judge Jeffrey Welbaum questioned that remorse after he received a letter Thursday from one of the victims who said she and Spahr never had a sexual relationship, and Spahr’s attorney, Chris Bucio, added at the hearing his client states the same.

“As far as remorse, not only is there no remorse, but there is collusion between him and her,” Welbaum said from the bench.

A presentence investigation issued to the court contained other allegations, including that Spahr was involved in other inappropriate behavior while employed in a similar capacity at Troy High School.

July 18 - Former Milton-Union assistant band director gets 2 years in prison

IRAN

The news item is in a Canadian newspaper. At first, we thought that they'd taken Sharia law too far in Toronto.

July 21, 2008 - Eight women and one man have been condemned to be stoned to death in Tehran. The eight women, ranging in age from 27 to 43, had convictions including prostitution, incest and adultery. The man, a 50-year-old music teacher, was convicted of illegal sex with a student.

ADDED: Another story reported the teacher was also a trade unionist, so maybe the sentence was not excessive. J/K

Klamath Falls, OREGON

Oct 19, 2007 - Barbara Trotta, 38, a special education teacher at Mazama High School, was arrested, accused of distributing controlled substances to at least three students. She is being held on charges of delivery of a controlled substance to a minor, delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school and endangering the welfare of a minor.

Authorities say Trotta gave students prescription pain pills and allegedly excused at least one student from class and allowed that student to use her personal vehicle to pick up additional drugs.

A student brought it to the attention of the police.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 22, 2008 - Trotta pleaded guilty in a Klamath County court Monday to a charge of delivering the painkiller Vicodin to a child, and no contest to three counts of using a minor in a drug offense. She also pleaded no contest to official misconduct, and had 12 other counts dismissed as part of a plea bargain. She was sentenced to 300 days in jail - not prison.

Plaistow, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Apr 27, 2007 - Kevin Goddu, 45, a Timberlane Regional High School social studies teacher, was arraigned on charges of aggravated felonious sexual assault forcible rape It is alleged that he used physical force to pin a 16-year-old student to a bed and raped her

He resigned Apr 5. In addition to his teaching duties, Goddu served as Timberlane's faculty adviser for Model U.N. Records. In his hometown of Chelmsford, Goddu is an elected Town Meeting representative for the 2nd District and a selectmen-appointed member of the Chelmsford Historical Commission.

In court yesterday, Goddu was not allowed to enter a plea. The charge is a felony, which requires a probable cause hearing. That hearing is scheduled for May 16.

INDICTED May 18 - Goddu was indicted on 14 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges May 31.

PRE-TRIAL PUBLICITY July 10 - Goddu's lawyer released information about e-mails between his client and the alleged victim and phone bills not yet accepted into evidence as well as a preliminary list of witnesses.

PRE-TRIAL PUBLICITY II July 13 - The case continues in the newspaper as the defense claims in court papers they filed that the sex was consensual, witnesses are prepared to testify that it was "romantic" and that the girl called his client twice on the day of the alleged rape “seeking a meeting for sexual relations.” The lawyer is seeking the girl’s school records from Timberlane, saying “serious questions exist concerning the veracity” of the alleged victim.

Jury selection is not slated to begin until OCTOBER, folks.

TRIAL Nov 30 - Closing arguments are expected today after three days of testimony.

DELIBERATIONS Dec 1 - The jury is deliberating. While Judge William Groff instructed the jury about the charges, Goddu's wife began to sob, and stormed out of the courtroom in tears. See story for how the defense characterized the victim.

MISTRIAL DECLARED Dec 3 - A mistrial was declared after the jury was unable to come to a unanimous decision on any of the 14 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault. The trial will now be rescheduled for early next year.

PLEA AGREEMENT April 25, 2008 - Goddu avoided a second trial and will plead guilty to two misdemeanor assault charges and agree to never teach again, according to paperwork filed in Hillsborough County Superior Court yesterday. A 12-month jail sentence will be suspended, pending two years of good behavior.

The plea agreement was approved by Judge William Groff, but Goddu still must appear in court to formally plead guilty and be sentenced. No hearing date has been scheduled.

SENTENCED (sorta) July 25 - Goddu was sentenced yesterday to a 12-month suspended sentence. He is prohibited from teaching in New Hampshire. He must undergo sex offender evaluation and receive any recommended treatment.

The family wrote of their anger over Goddu's violation of their trust. They also wrote they were upset by the reaction of some students and families who blamed the girl for Goddu losing his job.

Colonial Heights, VIRGINIA

Dec 4, 2007 - Leonardo Brenes, 42, a Colonial Heights Middle School teacher, was arrested on two charges stemming from a sexual encounter with an underage girl.

Sources say the victim was a female student at Colonial Heights High School.
Brenes now faces a felony charge of a crime against nature for performing oral sex on a juvenile and a misdemeanor charge for consensual carnal knowledge with a juvenile over the age of 15.

GUILTY July 21, 2008 - Brenes was found guilty by Judge Herbert Gill of taking indecent liberties while maintaining a supervisory relationship with the victim and of carnal knowledge of a juvenile. The maximum sentence for each felony is five years.

Brenes, a Costa Rican immigrant, also faces possible deportation after serving his time.

The victim testified during the trial that she had fallen in love with Brenes because he served as a male role model and father figure that she never had because her father was in prison for child molestation. She also said that she had been molested as a child herself, though not by her father.

The young woman testified that she had sex with Brenes at his home last summer while his children were playing upstairs and his wife was out running errands.

He will be sentenced October 6.

He faces another trial Sept. 4 in Prince George on similar charges with the same girl.

Mount Hope, WEST VIRGINIA

"My daughter did nothing wrong here." Creepy teacher, however, gets suspended sentence, home incarceration and -- FINALLY, a substantive punishment - registration as a sex offender for 10 years.

Oct 31, 2007 - Daryl Finley, 29, a Mount Hope High School Band Director, was arrested for sexual abuse by a parent or guardian. Details are sketchy at the story but the abuse apparently happened on a bus coming back from a football game.
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TT - The school rates a 1 at Greatschools.net on a scale of 1 - 10 ( 1 being lowest).
There is only one Parent Rating and that was by a student.

I am not a parent but I am a student at Mount Hope High school and I feel the school does a good job. We do have extracurricular activities and academic programs,some children just don't get involved in them.
Submitted by a student

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A Nov 15 hearing is scheduled. The student is 17.

GUILTY PLEA May 23 - Finley pleaded guilty to lesser charge of misdemeanor battery after striking a deal with prosecutors. Police alleged that he fondled the 17-year-old female student through her clothing during a Fayette County school-sponsored bus trip.

“The state will not recommend a specific sentence in this matter, and the defendant acknowledges that the state will be asking the court to find this crime to be sexually motivated,” Mann said in a May 19 letter to Finley’s lawyer, Michael Whitt.

SENTENCED July 21 - Finley was sentenced to to the maximum penalty of 12 months in jail, but lowercase judge Chief Circuit judge James J. Rowe, immediately suspended all but four months of the sentence. Rowe ruled that Finley will be allowed to carry out his sentence on a home incarceration program in Harrison County.

Rowe also sentenced Finley to five days in Southern Regional Jail and placed him on three years’ probation to begin after the completion of his home incarceration sentence. Finley must also register as a sex offender for ten years.

The victim’s father was also allowed to speak at the sentencing.“I hate to ruin this man’s life, but this can’t be overlooked,” he said. “I think it’s a pretty sad when the people we trust (to keep children safe) can’t keep their hands to themselves. My daughter did nothing wrong here.”

Pompano Beach, FLORIDA

There's just no learning curve sometimes. After the guilty plea and sentencing in December that included mental health counseling, they let her continue to teach until....

INDICTED July 13, 2007 -
Valjean Marguriet, 55, a teacher at Pompano Beach High School, was indicted by a federal grand jury on on a felony count of interference with a flight attendant and two misdemeanor assault charges.

A fellow passenger said the teacher had been drinking and suddenly grabbed her arm and tried to slap her. Flight attendants tried to calm Marguriet, but eventually had to physically restrain her.

Court records obtained by The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk show that in 1998, Marguriet was arrested in Florida's Broward County on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and being in the company of a juvenile at the time.

She pleaded no contest on the first charge and was found guilty of the second. She was placed on six month's probation and fined $525.

U.S. Attorney's Office Press Release. (Dated July 11, 2007)

GUILTY PLEA August 28 - Marguriet pleaded guilty to assaulting a flight attendant.

The judge also allowed her conditional release, saying she has to go through pre-trial supervision; pay for alcohol testing and attend weekly AA meetings; undergo mental health counseling; travel only in Florida and the eastern part of Virginia for court hearings. The judge ruled she cannot board any aircraft during this time

She will be sentenced December 11.

SENTENCED Dec 12 - Marguiret was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to undergo alcohol and mental health counseling.

RESIGNED July 24, 2008 -Arrested in January for showing up at school drunk, Marguiret resigned rather than face being fired. It was the latest in a string of complaints that Marguriet came to work while intoxicated. The school board was scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to fire her after she came to work smelling of alcohol, according to a school district complaint.

TT - She's prohibited from boarding any airplane, but she's allowed in a classroom. Go figure.

Port Orchard, WASHINGTON

Lesbian sexual contact nets teacher two months under house arrest.

May 23, 2008 - Ryann Springer, 25, a Kitsap High School teacher and assistant athletic medicine trainer, pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual misconduct with a minor for a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student.

Springer was arrested Tuesday and appeared in court Friday to face formal charging.

According to the certificate of probable cause filed by the POPD, School Resource Officer Bob MacFann received a complaint regarding suspicious activity between Springer and the student. The activity was alleged to be sexual in nature and include inappropriate text messaging, touching and other behaviors.

When the alleged victim was later interviewed by MacFann and a member of the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Assault Unit, the student admitted to having sexual contact with Springer on “multiple occasions and in multiple locations,” which included the high school and Springer’s home in Gig Harbor.

The Port Orchard Police Department investigated the case and said "sexual contact" had occurred on at least four separate occasions. Springer was placed on administrative leave. This was her first year as a staff member at the school.
Full Name: Ryann C. Springer

GUILTY PLEA June 24, 2008 - Springer pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct. Her sentencing is scheduled for July 22, and the standard sentencing range is six to 12 months.

SENTENCED (sorta) July 22 - Springer was sentenced to six-months, however, she already spent about two months in the Kitsap County jail following her arrest in May. She will be allowed to serve the rest of her time under house arrest.

Barco, NORTH CAROLINA

A year in prison will be a good education. Wait. Do they have a band there? Maybe it won't be a fun education after all.

July 22, 2008 - Allen Coyle, 32, band director at Currituck County High School, pleaded guilty to six counts of taking indecent liberties with a student for having sex with a student. The girl was 17 at the time so he avoided the charge of taking indecent liberties with a minor and will not have to register as a sex offender.

A judged sentenced Coyle on Monday to at least one year in prison.
Full Name: Allan Matthew Coyle

NEWS STORY July 25, 2008 - More than half of the public schools in Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties failed to make adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind testing, according to preliminary results released this week.

GREATSCHOOLS.NET rates Currituck County High School a 5. The District rates 7.

Culpeper, VIRGINIA

Speaking of role models...

July 23, 2008 - Nicholas Hanzivasilis, 23, an Eastern View High School math teacher and varsity cheerleading coach pleaded guilty in Culpeper County General District Court last week to driving under the influence of alcohol.

The judge sentenced Hanzivasilis to 30 days in jail but suspended the entire jail term. His driver’s license was also suspended for a year with restrictions. (He can drive to and from work.)
Full Name: Nicholas Andrew Hanzivasilis

From the same article:

This is not the first time a Culpeper County Public School teacher has faced a drug- or alcohol-related charge within the past year.

A Warrenton judge sentenced former CCPS teacher Frank “Chip” Rea to a three-month jail term in January for felony drug charges stemming from his arrest June 2007. Rea was a physical education and football coach at CCHS for one year.

TT entry [The actual sentence was five years with all suspended except three months on the marijuana charge and 100 hours on the cocaine charge. He is also serving six months of supervised probation on separate assault charges against two women for incidents that happened this summer.]

Michele Auville, a former first-grade teacher at Emerald Hill Elementary School, will face a grand jury in August for a felony charge of a controlled substance.

On May 31, Auville was riding on the passenger side of her Toyota when a deputy stopped the vehicle for “going very slowly and swinging from side to side,” on Madison Road around 5:15 a.m. Auville submitted her resignation to the School Board the next day. TT entry

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For a time, the Culpeper County School Board considered a random drug test policy. Entry

St. Petersburg, FLORIDA

Role Model #459

July 23, 2008 - Ruth Gerding, 31, a first-grade teacher at St. Jude Cathedral School, was found guilty of DUI, a misdemeanor, and sentenced to a year in the Manatee County jail after a jury acquitted her of DUI manslaughter. They found her not responsible for the death of a motorcyclist in a fatal collision last year.

Gerding's blood-alcohol level was measured at .230 -- nearly three times the limit at which Florida drivers are considered intoxicated at the time of the accident. The motorcyclist was also drunk.

Gerding, who has a prior 2001 DUI conviction in Pinellas County and a history of speeding tickets, showed no emotion when the verdict was announced. Before Circuit Judge Debra Riva announced her sentence, she turned around and cracked a quick smile at friends and family members sitting in the courtroom gallery.

Her attorney said the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg told her that if she was convicted of a misdemeanor, she could keep her job at St. Jude, where she also coaches volleyball.

Keel told the judge that his client has not drank alcohol or driven a vehicle since the day of the fatal crash.

Full Name: Ruth Patricia Gerding

Cedarburg, WISCONSIN

How can the Minneapolis Star-Tribune write a whole article about a fired teacher going to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to get his job back and forget to mention he was the teacher's union president?

Fourth time in 13 months that the case has moved from one court to another.

May 5, 2008 - Robert Zellner has been fighting to get his job back for two years. The case was to go to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but now his lawyer wants the Appeals Court to hear the case.

Zellner was fired in 2006 for having pornography on his computer. Twice. He took his case to an arbitrator who ruled the teacher should have been reprimanded but not fired.

The school board refused to rehire him so he sued, but he lost when an Ozaukee County judge overturned the arbitrator's ruling. Zellner then appealed to the state Court of Appeals. That court decided April 2 to ask the state Supreme Court to handle the case. However, Zellner's attorney, Jia Jonen, now wants the case returned to the Court of Appeals.

The Star-Tribune speculates,

Jonen's move may be related to the recent Supreme Court election. Her request came 10 days after Justice Louis Butler Jr. — a candidate who was heavily supported by the state's largest teachers union — was defeated. Circuit Court Judge Michael Gableman won the seat, an outcome observers say could tip the balance of power on the high court.

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TT - Surely the Star-Tribune remembers when the newspaper sued to gain access to a CD with the images and data collected from Zellner's computer so they could pronounce that -- there was no proof he viewed all of them. TT Entry

They were given access by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The ruling is still online. Zellner's legal objection to having the CD released to the newspaper was because the porn images were copyrighted.

You won't read about the arbitration ruling, however, as a judge ruled the arbitration hearing was confidential, ostensibly because of private medical information about Zellner. Zellner was the head of the teacher's union and Jonen is a union-supplied attorney. (Both facts in this article.) Zellner is suing the school district for $9 million. TT Entry

UPDATE May 15 - The Wisconsin Supreme Court sent the case back down to the appeals court. It was the fourth time in 13 months that the case has moved from one court to another.
At issue is whether a judge can overturn a federal arbitrator’s decision, particularly when both parties involved agree to abide by that decision.

IN A VICTORY FOR RATIONAL THOUGHT, THE
APPEALS COURT RULED July 23 - The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that the state Court of Appeals upheld the firing of former Cedarburg teacher Robert Zellner. In the ruling issued this morning, the Waukesha-based appeals panel backed the decision of an Ozaukee County circuit judge who had upheld Zellner's firing. The appeals court said that Zellner exhibited immoral behavior and that immoral behavior, as a strong public policy concern, is a basis for a court to take the rare step of overturning an arbitrator's decision.

THE SWEET SPOT from the story:

Jina Jonen, who works for the Wisconsin Education Association Council in Madison, said she was disappointed and concerned that the decision would lead to more court challenges of workplace disputes that are now decided more quickly and less expensively through binding arbitration.

"The ruling opens the door as to whether courts are going to start reviewing arbitrator's findings, and that's contrary to Wisconsin law," she said.

They're deciding whether to appeal. [TT - To a newly-configured conservative court? We don't think so.]
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TT - The case is Cedarburg Education Association v. The Cedarburg Board of Education
Appeal No.2007AP852
Decision dated and filed July 23, 2008. PDF

The Appeals Court based their finding on the Racine County decision and found that "Our supreme court recently confirmed that when an arbitration award violates the law or a strong public policy, the arbitrator has exceeded his or her powers and the award must be vacated."

Furthermore, where relevant law or public policy is ignored, the arbitrator has exceeded his or her powers (pg. 6)

In particular, they questioned the arbitrator’s conclusion that the record did not support the school district’s claim “that an immoral behavior is automatic grounds for termination.” (pg 7-8)

"We are not convinced that Zellner’s tenure and stealth provide sufficient counterweight to the public policy against immoral conduct in schools."

August 22 - In what the Journal says is "what could be the final stage of Robert Zellner’s 2 1/2 -year quest to get his job back" Zellner has asked the state Supreme Court to decide his pornography-related termination case. Again.
TT - See our Timeline and review.

Columbus, GEORGIA

Parent pleads guilty to forcing her children to file false report against a teacher.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 24, 2008 - Amanda Powell, 42, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of second-degree cruelty to children and one count of making a false report. She threatened her children to make them accuse a teacher of inappropriate touching in 2006.

The teacher was not arrested. Police investigated and evidence pointed to Powell.

It wasn't the first time that Powell was involved in such accusations. In a 2003 case, a teacher told Muscogee County Superior Court Judge Frank Jordan Jr. that Powell approached her one afternoon as she was escorting students to a crosswalk. Powell walked up and started to "rant and rave" about her children being molested.

Powell was sentenced to five years' probation and told to continue treatment, medication, counseling and mental evaluations. Her children have been removed to foster care.

Bridgeport, CONNECTICUT

May 24, 2008 - Thomas Bavedas, 38, a third-grade teacher at Waltersville School, was arrested and charged Friday with raping a child. More charges against him are expected.

The second arrest warrant within two days for Bavedas was issued and served Friday, charging him with three counts of first-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a minor. Police are not releasing the age of the victim, but she is under age 16 and Bavedas was known to the family.

The rape investigation, which included a search-and-seizure warrant executed Monday night at Bavedas' home, yielded "evidence of unrelated criminal activity," Nielsen reported. At least some of that activity was drug possession, police said.

Bavedas was charged Wednesday with possession of marijuana, cocaine and drug paraphernalia and released on $30,000 bond. Police said Friday that they anticipate further charges.

There is an indication that the offenses happened between three and seven years ago, which prompted Baveda's attorney to comment.

"I have some concerns about the veracity of the complaints, when no complaint was made for three years," he said. "If there was, in fact, a sexual assault that took place, one would think that you would have reported it [earlier]."

Bavedas resigned under the advice of his attorney. He is expected in court June 10.

TT - Planting doubt about the motives of the victim is a staple of defense attorneys, but the suggestion that a girl who may have been 15 years old (or younger) should have had the courage to face such a vitrolic verbal attack in public by a grown man when she wasn't even old enough to be in high school at the time is ludicrous. That a newspaper would print such a scurrilous remark is irresponsible.

Count on it. Attorneys hope such talk will discourage victims and their families from persisting up to trial because it makes plea deals easier without a determined victim and the strong support of their family. It takes guts to come forward when you know your motives will be impuned by attorneys, your reputation will be condemned by ill-informed students and frowned upon by educated, but even less supportive, teachers who seven chances out of ten will end up sitting behind the defendant at trial and will write letters asking for leniency if he is convicted.

ARRESTED (Again) July 18 - Two months after police accused him of sexually assaulting a girl under 16, Bavedas was arrested again and charged with first-degree possession of child pornography, importing child pornography, two counts of employing a minor in an obscene performance, four counts of risk of injury to a minor and two counts of voyeurism.

Authorities said Bavedas had more than 60,000 photographs and more than 3,000 video images of child pornography on his home computer, including some photos he allegedly took himself. The preteen children in the photos allegedly taken by Bavedas were all from the Milford area, and investigators believe they have identified all of them.

His next court appearance is August 6. His lawyer said he expects Bridgeport police to file related charges soon. ODDLY, his lawyer also said, "It appears to me that the state would have a strong case if this case were to go to trial. The claims of the state speak for themselves."

July 19: Details revealed in child pornography charges

The Milford Police Department Computer Crimes Unit allegedly found 63,891 images and 3,256 videos of child pornography and child sexual assault saved on Bavedas' computers and storage devices.
They depicted children ranging from 6 months to 15 years old, including the 12-year-old relative he allegedly raped three separate times at his Brooklawn Drive home when she was younger, according to police.

Chula Vista, CALIFORNIA

July 22, 2008 - Eduardo Serrano, 56, a fifth-grade teacher at Valle Lindo Elementary School, was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of molesting a 6-year-old girl who is a family member. He is charged with once count of child molestation and one count of lewd conduct with a child. He pleaded not guilty.

Detectives began investigating this week after the girl, described as a relative, reported the assault to her mother.

Serrano has been with the school district since 2003. He previously taught at John J. Montgomery Elementary School on Fourth Avenue near Montgomery Street. He is on paid administrative leave.

Serrano is scheduled a readiness conference for July 28 and a preliminary hearing for July 31.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Glenn Isaaks at (619) 691-5192.
Full Name: Eduardo Arturo Serrano

Danville, ALABAMA

July 22, 2008 - Jessica Defoor, 34, a 2nd grade teacher at Danville-Neel Elementary, was arrested, accused of having inappropriate contact with a female student in February 2006. She is being charged with second-degree sexual abuse - a Class A misdemeanor.

The student and her mother contacted police. Defoor was placed on administrative leave with pay.
Full Name: Jessica Heather Defoor

Whnt: (July 22)

Lieutenant Jonathan Green with Decatur P.D. says, "The incident allegedly happened back in 2006. It came to the attention of the police department in late 2007. Since that point, the family worked with our criminal investigation division, DHR and the Morgan County District Attorney's office to see which avenue is best to pursue prosecution of the case."

The girl was 14 at the time.

Moreno Valley, CALIFORNIA

July 23, 2008 - Joseph Curie, 51, a math teacher at Vista del Lago High School, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor child annoyance after a 15-year-old girl in his summer school class said she was being harassed. He has been accused of passing inappropriate notes to her.

The case has been turned over to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office to determine if charges should be filed. He was relieved of his summer school teaching duties Tuesday.
Full Name: Joseph Julius Curie

Vista Del Lago High is located on UC Riverside's Moreno Valley campus.

Police are asking anyone with information to call 951-486-6800.

Greensboro, NORTH CAROLINA

You have to wonder if teachers who spend four years on the party circuit at college begin to think everyone lives that way.

July 23, 2008 - Leanne Macklin, 26, a drama teacher at Weaver Academy for Performing Arts, was arrested and charged with sexual activity between school personnel and a 17-year-old student.

Five warrants against Macklin were issued on July 21. She resigned on June 16.

News & Record:

The police investigation began July 1 when the student’s parents told investigators that they believed their son was having an inappropriate relationship with a teacher, according to court documents.

The student’s parents also had letters from Macklin to their son containing statements such as, “You made me feel needed and trusted and loved,” according to a search warrant application returned July 11. Macklin allegedly told the student she wrote about him in her journal, the document states.

Full Name: Leanne Elizabeth Macklin
AKA Elizabeth Macklin

Police say the investigation is ongoing and they ask anyone with information to call the Greensboro Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at (336) 373-2255 or Crime Stoppers at (336) 373-1000. Crime Stoppers callers can remain anonymous.
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TT - Some eye-opening remarks at the news story here.

The Weaver Academy for Performing Arts is a part of the Guilford County Public School System located in Greensboro, NC. Weaver Academy for Performing Arts is a four-year, full-time High School with less than 300 students. Their website.

Omaha, NEBRASKA

Time to update your yearbooks. She was known as Stephanie Hall when she was a reading teacher at Millard north middle school between 1998 and 2002.

July 23, 2008 -
Stephanie Draper, 35, a Millard North Middle School teacher, was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a minor six years ago.

Draper resigned in February after the school came to her with the accusations. In the court records, she never admits to sexual contact, other than kissing and says victim "was violent, manipulative, and paralyzed" her. He was in the eighth grade at the time - 14 years old.

Now 20, the former student claimed Draper got him drunk, gave him cigarettes and had sex with him when he was a student at the school in 2002.

The court records also say the school knew of a relationship with another student in 2002. The school admonished her for inappropriate behavior bit says there wasn't any sexual contact.
Full Name: Stephanie A. Draper

WOWT-DT (July 22) Sexual Assault, Blackmail Case Involves Teacher Students

The student, now 21, claims the first time the two had sex, Draper served him liquor, then had sex with him while Draper's husband was at work.

At the last encounter, the student claims Draper told him if he wouldn't have sex with her she would have sex with his friend, another minor who waited in a nearby room. The friend later walked in on the two and according to the affidavit, the friend witnessed Draper naked, trying to remove the other boy's clothing. That friend is now a prosecution witness.

Reportedly, the former student asked for money not to reveal the incidents.

Action3 News: (July 22) Millard Teacher Turns Herself in on Sex Charges

KMPT Fox 42: (July 23) Former Millard Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault of Student

SWI Iowan: (July 24) Teacher faces sex assault charge
Draper waived her right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday during an appearance before Sarpy County Judge Jeffrey Funke.

Draper is married and has two young children. She will be arraigned August 1.

ARRAIGNED August 1 - Draper was arraigned in Sarpy County Court this morning. She pleaded not guilty. A trial date has been set for December.

Long Beach, CALIFORNIA

Acquitted of all charges by a jury.

Sept 17, 2007 - Raul Olivas, 41, Millikan High School head boys basketball coach, was arrested on suspicion of secretly videotaping his 16-year-old stepdaughter after the girl found a camera containing graphic images hidden in her bedroom closet.

The girl was searching for something when she came across the camera trained on a part of the room where she typically dressed. On the camera were images of her in various states of undress.

Police did not identify Olivas, but the Press-Telegram did. Arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 27

June 24, 2008 - Reader said that he was found not guilty. We are trying to find an online story to link to.

ACQUITTED July 11 - A jury last month acquitted a former Millikan High School teacher and coach charged with two counts of secretly taping his 16-year-old stepdaughter for sexual gratification.

Rather, Olivas and a forensic psychologist who testified for the defense - along with Olivas's wife and his stepdaughter - testified that Olivas was suffering from alcoholism, gambling addiction and depression and that he planted the camera in an obvious place as an act of self-destruction.

During the trial, Olivas' three previous DUIs were brought to light as well his prior treatment for alcoholism during a stint in rehab.

ODD NOTE: City Prosecutor Tom Reeves said Thursday that his office made no notice of the trial at the request of the victim and her family. "They were very upset with the previous media coverage," Reeves said. "So we agreed win, lose, or draw we would not publicize the case." [TT - Is that bizarre, or what?]

EVEN ODDER NOTE: According to court transcripts, Dr. Sanjay Sahgal - an assistant professor at USC and the forensic psychiatrist who interviewed Olivas - said Olivas freely admitted planting the camera to tape his stepdaughter and admitted he was attracted to teen girls. The doctor said such attractions are normal for adult males; and that while the act of setting up the camera was immoral and wrong, it was not proof of sexual deviation or pathology. [TT - No. Every father secretly tapes their 16-year-old daughter undressing. Or dreams of it? What the hell is that?]

JURY ACQUITS.

Petaluma, CALIFORNIA

Sentenced (sorta) to -- six months and jail and he might not even have to do that.

News story date Apr 12, 2007 - Police arrested Craig Lee, 53, superintendent of the Lagunitas School District, on suspicion of possessing child pornography and domestic violence. No charges have been filed and a court date is pending. He is also under investigation for suspicious activity with a child, according to the Mercury News.

The child pornography was allegedly found on a computer after Lee's live-in girlfriend he had assaulted her after she discovered the child porn on his computer.

During the investigation, officers learned that Lee had a "large volume of computer generated images that depicted children engaged in sexual acts," police said. The images, apparently downloaded from the Internet, were of children ages 5 to 10 engaging in sex acts with adults, said Detective Matthew Stapleton.

Lee came to the Lagunitas district from Shasta County, where he taught elementary school.
Full Name: Craig Benedict Lee

Updated Apr 13 - Police found "over a hundred printed depictions" of adults performing various sex acts with young children, Petaluma police Capt. Dan Fish said Thursday afternoon.
He said the child pornography appeared to be computer-generated and printed from a computer over the course of "many years." "They're not photographs," he said.

Updated Apr 25 - Lee delayed entering a plea Wednesday in Sonoma County Superior Court on child pornography and battery charges. He will return to court for arraignment May 11.

Updated May 11 - Lee pleaded not guilty. faces 13 felony counts of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexual conduct, a felony count of dissuading a witness and one misdemeanor count of battery on a spouse or former spouse. Lee was formerly was a teacher and principal at the Igo-Ono Elementary School near Redding. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 9.

PLEA AGREEMENT March 13, 2008 - Former Platina Elementary School teacher and principal Craig Lee has struck a deal with the Sonoma County district attorney's office to settle child pornography charges brought against him last year.

Lee, 54, will plead no contest to one of 13 charges stemming from the discovery of a stash of child pornography images found in his Petaluma home last April. Legally, pleading no contest is the same as pleading guilty, but the conviction cannot be used against the defendant in a civil lawsuit.

Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Antolini accepted Lee's bid not to contest the charges and found him guilty. Sentencing is schedule for June 30.

SENTENCED (sorta) July 23 - Lee was sentenced to six months in jail - not prison. A spokeswoman for the Sonoma County district attorney’s office said Tuesday that probation officials may allow Craig Lee to serve his sentence under electronic home confinement or a work-furlough program. He will be on probation for three years. He was ordered to register as a sex offender.

Lee left Platina Elementary School two years ago to take over as superintendent of the Lagunitas School District in Marin County. He was dismissed from that job after his arrest in April 2007.
------------------------------------
LEGAL NOTE: (From story) A recent case law in California established that prosecutors can bring only one charge of possession against a person regardless of the number of pictures the person may have owned, [Sonoma County chief deputy district attorney Joan] Risse said.

As a result of that ruling, prosecutors amended the charges against Lee. [No other story has this.]
------------------------------------
TT - Other jurisdictions have handed the conviction over to the feds when their case falls apart or they feel the possible sentencing would be too lenient.

Child Pornography and Educators
TT - List sentenced for child pornography.
TT - List guilty but not yet sentenced for child pornography.

Sneads, FLORIDA

May 12, 2007 - Tommy Stoutamire, a Sneads High School teacher, who was being investigated in a case involving students has been charged with sexual battery and child abuse in the case.

Stoutamire is charged with one count of sexual battery on a child under the age of 16, four counts of child abuse, and three counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 16.

Stoutamire submitted his resignation to the Jackson County School Board shortly after the investigation began in May 1. Superintendent Danny Sims says the allegations came from four female students after one reported the inappropriate behavior.

Nov 14 - Stoutamire was mentioned in a news story about the online teacher disciplinary records database in Florida. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing this month on multiple counts that include lewd and lascivious molestation and child abuse.
Full Name: Thomas Bowen Stoutamire

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 22, 2008 - Stoutamire pleaded guilty Tuesday to to four counts of child abuse, two counts of false imprisonment, one count of battery, and three counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. Stoutamire was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in jail - not prison. He will be on probation for an additional 14 years. Under the terms of the plea agreement, he will be required to give up his teaching certificate/license, and never seek employment in the field again.

APOLOGY (kinda) As part of the deal, Stoutamire also wrote a letter of apology to his victims.

“I want to express my sincere apologies to CM, KB, MY and LH,” his letter reads. “Each of these young ladies have suffered this past year in school and in the community and have done nothing to deserve the treatment.

I accept responsibility for my actions and for the hurt the actions have caused not only to these four ladies but the Sneads community as well. I urge all involved to allow these girls to attend school in peace and understand they have done nothing wrong.

It is with great regret I move forward with my life today. I understand and accept the punishment of the Court and I will work to earn the trust of my family, friends, loved ones yet again.”

TT - You could have respected him if he had written that letter, say, a year ago and allowed the girls and their families to get on with their lives.

The mother wrote a letter to the court. [Emphasis ours.]

“It is so hard for me to stand here and be calm after what you did to my daughter,” she said. “There are no words to express what we have suffered this past year because of your actions. You know, this letter of apology you are giving my daughter today could have been written a year ago and even though it would not have taken away what you did, maybe it would have stopped some of the harassment she has had to endure this past school year from not only classmates, but from teachers as well.

All because she stood up and told the truth. But when I become overwhelmed by the anger and hurt, I remember that my Lord will always have the last word, he is the Beginning and the End. Even though I do not have the resources to get myself out of this problem, I know He will deliver me. I pray that you can make peace with God for your actions.”

A single poster at the story understood.

These four girls have been mistreated, shunned and talked about for over a year since this incident happened. What most people don’t understand is that these young ladies should be considered hero’s to this county. In our current society it is so easy to tell a lie and not face the truth, these four stood up for what is right.

As people look at this situation and try to understand what has happened and make sense of this. you should thank these 4 hero’s for there courage to make a stand. If you have a daughter in our school system and you think about what would have happened if these four had not of done this and what the headlines could have read this year or next year you should pray for these girls and thank them for being honest people.

Court documents related to the case. (8.58MB)

Ferndale, PENNSYLVANIA

Seventeen to thirty-four years in prison and lifetime registration as a sexually violent predator.

Feb 27, 2007 - Bruce Haskins, 48, was charged with sexually assaulting an underage girl. He faces multiple charges including statutory sex assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault and corruption of minors.

With his head in his hands, a Ferndale man sobbed as a 14-year-old girl described how he sexually assaulted her for nine years.

[Entry continued here for space considerations.]

Update May 9 - Haskins is also being charged with taping the encounters and saving them on his computer. Haskins remains in jail, unable to make a $200,000 bond.

GUILTY PLEA Jan 19, 2008 - Haskins pleaded guilty to one count of rape, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and one count of filming or photographing sex acts. He was accused of abusing the girl from the time she was 5 until she was 14.

Before sentencing, Haskins will be evaluated by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board to determine if he is a sexually violent predator, which would require him to register his address with police for life. If he is not deemed a sexually violent predator, he will be required to register for 10 years after completing his sentence.

Two years ago, Haskins completed the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders for similar charges from 2004. When he was a substitute teacher for the North Star School District, he was accused of inappropriately touching a 15-year-old girl.

Haskins will be sentenced April 16.

See The Sexual Offenders Assessment Board (See SOAB Process.)

CBS3 (Jan 18) Ex-substitute teacher pleads guilty to molesting girl
Until his arrest in February, Haskins had been a Web-design instructor at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. He also worked as a substitute teacher in the North Star School District in Somerset County.

Tribune-Democrat (Jan 17) Ferndale man admits years-long child-sex abuse

SENTENCED July 10 - Haskins was sentenced to 17 to 34 years in prison. He has been designated a sexually violent predator. [TT - Sexually violent predators are subject to lifetime registration and increased reporting requirements.]

State officials expect the length of the sentence to prevent Haskins from committing similar crimes in the future.

"He's 49. 17 years puts him at fairly advanced age as far as being released." [Herbert Hays of the PA Sexual Offenders Assessment Board ] said.

Lynwood, CALIFORNIA

Pictures showed an infant being raped. The Alhambra man told investigators that paying for child pornography was "entertainment to him, like a video game."

Nov 29, 2007 -
In Lynwood, Kenneth Kothe, 61, a first grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, was arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography after investigators found hundreds of printed images of child pornography in his home that he actually admitted to downloading. Kothe lives in Alhambra.

Kothe was arrested on the same day as David Hassler, 62, a religious studies teacher at Mayfield Senior School School of the Holy Child Jesus in Pasadena, California. In a search of his home, they also found numerous printed images of child pornography, downloaded from the Internet. TT entry for Hassler.

GUILTY PLEA - April 22 - Kothe pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of possession of child pornography. He will be sentenced July 14. Kothe will be required to register on national and state databases as a convicted sex offender. He has been on unpaid leave from his job since the investigation began, but once he is sentenced the district plans to fire him.

Investigators targeted Kothe after they found that he had subscribed to websites that allow users to download child pornography. His computer hard drive contained 113 images and 18 movies of child pornography, some with children as young as 7. He will be sentenced July 14.

Other San Gabriel Valley teachers in the news at Hassler entry.

SENTENCED July 14 - Kothe was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in federal prison Monday for possessing child pornography. He will serve ten years of supervised release following his prison term. (No parole for federal sentencing.) He will have register with law enforcement as a sex offender for the rest of his life. (TT - Sadly, the children in those pictures and videos are also sentenced for the rest of their lives. Their images will be traded like baseball cards by perverts across the globe.)

During an interview with agents, Kothe admitted to downloading and printing the images and paying for child pornography, which was "entertainment to him, like a video game," court papers state. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Dugdale said after Monday's hearing that one of the images Kothe possessed showed an infant being raped.

Child Pornography and Educators
TT - List sentenced for child pornography.
TT - List guilty but not yet sentenced for child pornography.

Amery, WISCONSIN

Forty-year-old teacher planned to marry the 16-year-old boy.
Something the National Inquirer would love.

Nov 15, 2007 -
Brenda K. Baillargeon, 39, a staff member of the Amery School District, was charged with with having sex with a 16-year-old male student, a Class H Felony under state law.

The mother had filed a harassment restraining order against Baillargeon in October. Baillargeon also faces four counts of knowingly violating that restraining order after the mother discovered a phone bill with calls from Oct. 15 to Oct. 21 ranging from 20 minutes to 73 minutes long.

She told authorities that she had received so many calls from the youth she felt she needed to answer them and speak with him.

The victim's mother contacted authorities after her son confessed the activity to her Nov. 13, according to the complaint.

BIZARRE Nov 16 - The Pioneer Press reports that Baillargeon was divorcing so she could marry the student. She took him on trips and sneaked into his home in the early morning hours for sex. She was his first love, and they were going to get married, according to arrest records, after she got a divorce.

A general tutor assigned to help the teen with his studies, Baillageon had sex with the boy at his home, his grandfather's cabin, on a bench at a nearby park and at her cabin near Amery, the arrest records said.

Baillageon is the second west-central Wisconsin educator charged this fall with having sex with a teenage student. Anne Knopf, 39, is also accused of having sex with a 13-year-old boy.
TT - Link for Knopf
TT - Link for teachers having sex with little boys list

NOT GUILTY PLEA Dec 28 - Baillageon was in court and pleaded not guilty.

NO CONTEST PLEA March 29, 2008 - Baillageon pleaded no contest for one count of sex assault of a student by school staff and one count of child enticement with sexual contact.
The judge dismissed three other felony charges. She will also have to register as a sexual offender.

Though the other charges were dropped, Polk County District Attorney Daniel Steffen said Baillargeon likely will serve time.

"She pleaded to one of the most serious charges, and even if she had gone to trial and been convicted, she wouldn't have faced any more prison time," Steffen said.

A mother of four, Baillargeon has a 16-year-old daughter the same age and in the same class as the boy Baillargeon admitted to having sex with.

Her sentencing likely will come 90 days after completion of a presentencing investigation by the state Department of Corrections.

SENTENCED July 13 - Baillargeon was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison -- two years of confinement and three years extended supervision, the sentences to run concurrently. She was also sentenced to probation for 15 years. She must also enter sex offender treatment, submit a sample of DNA, and register as a sex offender.

She was ordered last week by a Polk County judge to stay out of the City of Amery.

TT - It makes you wince when a news story reports, "She was 39 at the time of the affair." He was 16 years old! It's not an affair; it's sordid, manipulative, and illegal. And some would question the mental capacity of a mother of four having sex with a student 23 years younger.

Harrisville, UTAH

An earlier story reported that two school districts in Mississippi have new policies that prohibiting text messaging and and online social network communication between faculty and students. Two very recent cases illustrate the necessity.

Harrisville, UTAH
July 9 - Despite being warned about boundaries and a discussion of "texting with kids," Brandon Fessler, 26, an Orion Junior High School teacher, sent 5,000 text messages to a 13-year-old girl.

The parents got stalking injunction against the teacher last August after begging Fessler to stop communicating with their daughter. He violated the order not to contact the girl.

The judge sentenced Fessler to a year in jail - not prison - for two counts of misdemeanor stalking. The State Board of Education revoked his teaching license for a year. If he wants to teach again, he'll have to ask for a reinstatement hearing.
Full Name: Brandon James Fessler

Prescott, WISCONSIN
Anne Knopf, 39, a middle school teacher, was sentenced to nine months jail - not prison- and five years probation for sex with a 13-year-old male student. The relationship between the two allegedly commenced via e-mail and messaging activities. She will be a registered sex offender for the rest of her life. Entry

Prescott, WISCONSIN

Nothing so illustrates the awful shame than a mugshot, complete with jail identification ID.

Thirty-nine year old teacher "in love" with a 13-year-old boy. But at least he will know where she lives for the rest of her life.

Nov 5, 2007 - Anne M. Knopf, 39, a Prescott teacher, has been charged with one count of second degree sexual assault of a child. She made a brief court appearance. [No other stories available online.]

The student she is alleged to have a sexual relationship with is a 13-year-old boy.

Preliminary hearing date is Nov 20.

WKYC reports that the boy was her daughter's former boyfriend. Knopf has retained custody of her two children. Their headline also says, "Woman charged over affair with 13-year-old"

Nov 26 - Knopf faces new sexual assault charges. She is now charged with repeated sexual assault of the same child.

The criminal complaint states the 13-year old boy drove to her Ellsworth home, once a week, for four or five weeks where they would kiss and have sex.

NOT GUILTY PLEA Nov 27 - Knopf pleaded not guilty. Her next court appearance will be a pre-trial conference on Jan 8.

TRIAL SCHEDULED - July 17, 2008

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING Knopf pleaded guilty to one count of second degree sexual assault of a child. She was sentenced to nine months jail - not prison- and five years probation. The boy was 13 years old.

The complaint states the relationship between the two allegedly commenced via e-mail and messaging activities. The father made copies of the e-mails. The plea agreement was reached after physical evidence corroborated what the victim, a 13-year-old boy, alleged that intercourse took place.

She must undergo sex offender assessment and register as a sexual offender for the rest of her life.

LAWSUIT - October 24 - The father of the boy who was sexually assaulted by a substitute teacher last year has filed a civil lawsuit against Ann Knopf and her husband, Wade J. Knopf. The suit filed Oct. 16 says Ann Knopf's actions weren't decent, and that Wade Knopf should have avoided exposing the boy to risk of harm.

Fredericksburg, VIRGINIA

Canadian investigators find child pornography on his computer.

July 23, 2008 - Richard Doucet, 37, a private school teacher in Montreal, was arrested in May at a hotel in Virginia on allegations he had used an Internet chat room to attempt to lure a minor for sex. After his arrest, police in Montreal carried out a search warrant on Doucet's home on a request from investigators in Virginia and found child pornography.

[The] investigators found a video containing child pornography and about 100 photos depicting children being sexually abused. The head of the sexual assault squad said investigators do not know how the child pornography was obtained, but are still trying to determine its origins.

TT - Amazingly, the Canadian officials are holding off charging him for the child pornography because they are waiting to see what happens in the United States because the internet luring charges in the U.S. are "more serious charges." Go figure.

May 13 - Montreal school copes with news of teacher's arrest
Doucet had been at a teachers' conference in Atlanta but made a side trip to Fredericksburg, Va., where he was arrested. He was charged with attempted indecent liberties, use of an electronic communications device to solicit a juvenile, and two counts of distribution of child pornography.

NEW CHARGES September 5 - Doucet has been charged with more than 200 new counts related to child pornography. The new accusations stem from images found on a compact disc that was seized by police from a motel room.

Det. John Chapman of Dumfries, Va., police said the 36-year-old has been indicted on 230 counts of possessing and reproducing child pornography.

Chapman said each felony carries a five-year mandatory prison sentence, which means Doucet could be sentenced to more than 1,000 years in jail if convicted on all counts.
"Down here in Virginia they take that very seriously," Chapman told The Canadian Press on Friday.

"Virginians are conservative people and they want to protect their kids. It's all about putting these guys away."

Police do not expect more charges.

Eugene, OREGON

The conviction carries an automatic revocation of her teaching license.

Because of jail overcrowding, she most likely will serve no more than 10 days of the 60-day sentence.

June 6, 2008 - Sarah Bridges, 24, a substitute teacher in the Eugene School District, was arrested on accusations of third-degree rape, sodomy and sexual abuse for an alleged off-campus sexual encounter with a middle school male student earlier this year.

The arrest followed a complaint made earlier in the day by the school district that Bridges engaged in sexual activity with the student off-campus in March. Police did not identify the school where she taught or the age of the victim.
Full Name: Sarah Jayne Bridges

School officials said Bridges taught at all four high schools in the district this year in addition to the middle school. She had been a substitute since September 2006.

June 9 - No age was given for the student, but kval 13 reports that the since all in the third degree, meaning police allege the crime involved a child who is 14 or 15 years old. "Rape" is considered sexual intercourse under Oregon law. "Sodomy" covers a number of other sexual acts, including oral sex. "Sex abuse" is any other sexual contact.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Dan Braziel at 541-682.5836.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 17 - Bridges pleaded guilty to one count each of third-degree rape and third-degree sodomy. She was sentenced to five years of probation and 60 days in jail for sexual contact with a middle school-age boy in two off-campus encounters earlier this year. As part of her sentence, she must undergo sex offender treatment and register as a sex offender.

Because of jail overcrowding, she most likely will serve no more than 10 days of the 60-day sentence, Chief Deputy Lane County District Attorney Alex Gardner said. The conviction carries an automatic revocation of her teaching license.

Colonia, NEW JERSEY

Young enough to be his daughter. The former World Natural Body Building Federation professional body builder was "sorry for his lack in judgment."

Jan 29, 2008 - Craig Yarnall, 37, a physical education teacher at Colonia Middle School and a coach at Colonia High School, was arrested on charges he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student. He faces charges of two second-degree charges of official misconduct and sexual assault.

Police found Yarnall in a parked car in a park with the 17-year-old girl. Investigators later determined Yarnall had a sexual relationship with the girl that began in April - when the girl was 16. He was suspended with pay.

Woodbridge middle-school gym teacher charged with sexual assault (Home News Tribune)

Authorities are urging anyone with information on Yarnall to contact Detectives Michael Dacrosta or Michael Ng of the Woodbridge Township Police Department at (732) 634-7700, or Investigator James Mullin of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes Unit at (732) 745-3600.

ARRAIGNMENT Jan 31 - At his arraignment, Yarnall appeared without an attorney and said that he hadn't been been able to get a phone call since his arrest on Tuesday. He was due to use the phone at Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick yesterday before being taken to court, he said. DeVesa said he would arrange for access to a phone.

Yarnall is married. Bail was set for $150,000 with no 10% cash option. Next court date is Feb 8.

Two Colonia High School teachers are mentioned: Michael Petak and Karen Binder. (Links are to TT entries.)

GUILTY May 23 - Yarnall pleaded guilty Thursday morning to official misconduct for having sex with a teenage girl and "agreed to a three-year prison term" in exchange for his guilty plea.

He stands a chance, however, of being accepted into an intensive parole supervision program, making it possible he will only serve a few months in prison.Yarnall also must give up his teacher's license and can never hold a public job in New Jersey.

He is scheduled to be sentenced July 18.

TT - We call it Bargains when a teacher "agrees to give up" their license in plea negotiations because it demonstrates how difficult it is to revoke a license when the license itself becomes a bargaining tool that gives the educator an advantage that no other citizen is given. Revocation should be automatic and guaranteed for sex offenders. That it is not is shameful.

SENTENCED July 18 - Yarnall was sentenced to three years in prison.

Craig Yarnall, 38, of Woodbridge apologized and said the entire episode had been hardship for his wife and their infant twin sons.

In exchange for the guilty plea, the count of official misconduct was downgraded from a second-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree misdemeanor and the count of sexual assault was dismissed.

By pleading guilty, Yarnall avoided trial, a maximum prison term of 10 years, and being placed on the Megan's Law list of sexual offenders.

UPPERCASE Superior Court Judge Frederick DeVesa agreed with the state that the aggravating factors of the inappropriate sexual relationship between a teacher, who is supposed to exhibit moral, ethical behavior, and a teenage student, outweighed the mitigating factors that Yarnall has a previously clean record and is at low risk to commit another offense.
----------------------
TT - Not mentioned in any article are the other Colonia High School teachers in the news.
Michael Petak, 31, sentenced to probation for witness tampering (no explanation). Entry
Karen Binder, 42, Entry arrested for official misconduct related to sexually explicit text messages sent to a pair of students. No resolution to her case online.

Cocoa, FLORIDA

Keg party where she charged the students $5.

Witnesses estimate as many as 70 teens came to the party and several fistfights broke out. When asked why she let young girls walk around the party in lingerie, Meyer said at the time she thought it was no different than wearing a bathing suit.

July 18, 2008 - Emily Meyer, 30, a Saturn Elementary School teacher, was sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading no contest to hosting a party and buying beer for dozens of underage high school students. She was also sentenced to 11 months of probation and 50 hours of community service

She told the judge that she had a drinking problem.

Meyer tried to explain how she ended up hosting a party for high schoolers when she was supposed to be house-sitting and looking after a 16-year-old girl and her younger brother. The former Saturn Elementary School teacher was captured on a Wal-Mart surveillance camera after agreeing to buy the girl's friends a keg.

"I know I was lucid enough to think to myself and to say out loud to my boyfriend at the time, 'I'm going to hell for this,'" she said.

Meyer is currently attending AA and will be on suicide watch at the jail. At her sentencing, two teachers and her former principal testified she was an excellent teacher who should not have to serve time in jail.

Meyers is a single parent. Witnesses estimate as many as 70 teens came to the party and several fistfights broke out. When asked why she let young girls walk around the party in lingerie, Meyer said at the time she thought it was no different than wearing a bathing suit.

FoxOrlando: Meyer admitted to buying the keg of beer. She also admitted that at the time she didn’t care if any of the students got hurt driving home after the party. Meyer says she was having emotional problems during that period of her life and that she was using drugs and alcohol which affected her judgment.

Prosecutors are still proceeding with their case against Meyer's boyfriend, James Ali, who has also been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a party.

RELEASED August 11 - Meyer was released after seven days in jail. She still must must serve 11 months of probation and perform 50 hours of community service.

Mirimar, FLORIDA

Sentenced to 43 years in prison, but is out on bond while he appeals.

Mar 1, 2007 - Aaron Mohanlal, 39, an art teacher at New Renaissance Middle School, is on trial for sexual abuse of a boy that began when the victim was 12-years-old.

Prosecutors allege the sexual abuse went on for over a year. When the boy wished to break off ther elationship, Mohanlal created embarrassing fliers.

Update Apr 5 - Mohanlal was convicted in a jury trial of 13 felony counts, ranging from lewd or lascivious molestation to child abuse.

Sentencing will be Jun 14.

Last month -- after the fourth district employee this year was arrested and accused of sexual misconduct -- Broward school officials said they must scrutinize the district's hiring practices. They said they might add psychological or behavioral screenings.

SENTENCED (maybe) July 23, 2008 - Mohanlal was sentenced in June to 43 years in prison, but has yet to serve a day in jail. A judge ordered him released on post-conviction bond while his case is on appeal. The judge ordered Mohanlal to wear a GPS device, register as a sex offender and surrender his passport. CNN says the bond is unusual.

Post-conviction bonds are rarely given in criminal trials, but judges occasionally grant them if there was a procedural error during trial that would make a conviction reversal at the appellate level likely, legal experts say.

But there were no procedural mistakes during Mohanlal's trial, both prosecutor Anita White and defense attorney Steve Rossi said.

Under Florida statute, defendants without prior felonies are eligible for post-conviction bond unless they have committed first-degree murder or sexual battery. Mohanlal wasn't convicted of first-degree sexual battery. He was convicted of second- and third-degree felonies, and he had no prior felony record.

Other students in Mohanlal's class testified that their teacher handed them fliers, with the boy's picture and phone number, that falsely accused the teen of having sex with animals. Caught on surveillance camera at a grocery store copying the fliers, prosecutors say Mohanlal had become a disturbed lover scorned when the boy entered high school and began rejecting his advances.

Last year, the boy's family won $300,000 from the school district after a civil claim that the district failed to protect the student.

IN JAIL - August 1 - A judge initially agreed to allow Mohanlal to post a $610,00 bond because he did not have any prior convictions and appeared to meet the conditions of his bond, which included securing almost half a million dollars in property.

But the state discovered that the defendant never met the conditions of his bond and there was not enough equity in those properties, meaning Mohanlal is a flight risk. The judge revoked his bond.

Harvard, ILLINOIS

He testified he did not believe he did anything improper.

May 31, 2008 - A jury found Matthew Konetski, 32, a substitute teacher, guilty of unlawful restraint and aggravated battery for taping an two boys, including an unruly 8-year-old to his chair and taping their mouths. Both charges are felonies.

Konetski was a substitute in a special education class at Jefferson Elementary School. In the four-day trial, Konetski testified that the actions were necessary to control his special education classroom.

"It was not to scare them or make them feel uncomfortable," he said. "It was to get the point across, in a fun way, without yelling at them."

A first-year substitute with no training in special education, Konetski testified he did not believe he did anything improper.

During closing arguments his defense told jurors state law grants teachers parent-like rights when dealing with students, including authority to restrain a child when necessary.
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TT - When a fully-trained, 20-year-veteran special education teacher in Florida deliberately chose to abuse children despite her training and the parents complained, the teacher's union sent a "cease and desist" [your complaining] letter to the parents. The district then moved Kathleen Garrett to another school where the pattern of abuse of other students continued .

She was eventually convicted by a jury. TT entry

Special education students are some of the most vulnerable in our society and in our schools. Their parents are, just as other parents are, wholly dependent upon a caring and competent administration to oversee the teachers they hire and the substitutes they allow in a classroom.

Cameras in every classroom would mean no great expenditure, but they are resisted by both administrators and unions. And some, but not all, teachers. It's very tempting to conclude that administrators who fail to adequately supervise now, just don't want the responsibility of doing just that.

At the same time, teachers who need recognition of the difficulties in the classroom sometimes can't get the attention of those in charge and the resources they require that could be documented by a camera. How much easier would it be to justify expelling a student with that kind of evidence, leaving the rest of the school population without that disturbing presence?

How much easier would it be if teachers who cross boundaries with their students could be curbed before the relationships become unhealthy? How much easier would it be to document a poorly-performing teacher? Ignorance isn't an excuse. Not when there are tools available that could prevent criminal activity or eliminate bad teachers.

The same administrations that have no trouble installing cameras to watch students on campus ought to have have cameras to protect them in the classroom as well.

SENTENCED July 16 -Konetski was sentenced to two years' probation. In addition to probation, Konetski has been ordered to pay a $1,500 fine and perform 80 hours of community service.

Wantagh, NEW YORK

Pleaded guilty last month. Arrested again for having sex with the same student.

March 27, 2008 - Heather Kennedy, 25, a math instructor at Wantagh High School, was arrested Wednesday, charged with third-degree felony rape and endangering the welfare of a child.

After being confronted by his father for being out late, the 16-year-old boy admitted to having sex in his car with the teacher in the parking lot lot of Massapequa high school . The father then contacted police. Kennedy was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Thursday. Her bail was set at $35,000. The Long Island teacher's next court date is March 31.

The school district put her on paid leave.

ARRESTED (AGAIN) July 23 - Kennedy pleaded guilty last month to sexual miscontact for having sex with the 16-year old student and was ordered to stay away from him has been arrested on statutory rape and other charges for allegedly continuing to have sex with the same student.

The new charges are five new counts of statutory rape, two felony counts of committing a criminal sexual act, five counts of criminal contempt and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

She was scheduled to be sentenced in August to up to a year in jail. But that was before the new charges. She pleaded not guilty to the new charges.

Internet Policy

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY

July 24, 2008 - Two Mississippi school districts have banned text messaging and online social network communication between faculty and students following a string of teacher-student sex scandals.

The school districts are Lauderdale County School District and Lamar School District that has banned teacher-student communication on social networking sites.
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TT- We have long advocated such a policy because such such communication crosses the boundary between the professional and the student. It's hard enough to maintain distance with students without further familiarity to blur the line between the school and private life.

Many teachers have written to say that they find such communication useful. However, no parent expects a doctor to contact their child via e-mail and have a ongoing exchange. And they would find it decidedly odd and unsettling if the child's dentist or a police officer wanted to have private e-mail exchanges with their child.

Someone has to be the grownup.

Omaha, NEBRASKA

He's 37 and she is 14. He said they were in love. (We guess he was in love with the other 13-year-old, too. Can you spell P-E-D-O-P-H-I-L-E creep?)

May 18, 2007 -
Police arrested Collin L. Holcomb, 37, a science teacher at Norris Middle School, for allegedly having sexual contact with a 14-year-old former female student.

Holcomb has been charged with second-degree sexual assault of a child. He has been suspended pending completion of the investigation.

Omaha World-Herald: He was questioned after someone reported that he was acting suspiciously in a park. After an interview with police, he was arrested. A police spokesman said Holcomb and the girl apparently had been in a relationship for a while.

Update from WOWT Ch 6: Holcomb is being held on $1 million bond. Holcomb told police that the girl is more mature than her age and they are in love. He said they planned to meet secretly until they could "come out." Police were called to Churchich Park Thursday night when neighbors became suspicious.

By the time officers arrived at the park, the girl was gone but authorities eventually found her.

Holcomb was brought to police headquarters for questioning and then booked on suspicion of sexual assault of a child - second degree.

The neighbor who contacted police has told investigators that Holcomb and the girl have been seen meeting in the park for at least a year. The girl is reportedly a former student of Holcomb’s.
Update June 25 - Holcomb waived his right to a preliminary. No trial date schedule given. He remains in jail on $1 million bond.

NO CONTEST PLEA April 15, 2008 - Holcomb pleaded no contest to third degree sexual assault. Court records show a judge reduced Holcomb's bond from $1 million to $100,000 but he's required to stay "in the presence" of his parents and has to continue psychiatric treatment.

He'll be sentenced in July.

HISTORY? NewsNetNebraska (April 16) - Reports that,

"The police believe the affair was going on for a year.According to Nebraska law, third-degree sexual assault of a child occurs when the victim is 14 years old or younger and the actor is at least 19 years old. It also stipulates that third-degree offenders do not cause personal injury to the victim, unlike second-degree sexual assault of a child.

There has been speculation that Holcomb had a similar affair in Iowa eight years ago.

SENTENCED (not nearly long enough) July 21 - Holcomb was sentenced to four to five years in prison for molesting the girl.

While noting that he hadn't seen a defendant make more effort at rehabilitation, Ashford also noted that Holcomb had a history of preying on children.

Holcomb admitted to police that he previously had a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old daughter of a former girlfriend. That girl and her mother didn't come forward until Holcomb's arrest.

In this case, Holcomb, then an eighth-grade science teacher at Norris Middle School, began grooming a 13-year-old student in 2006. Over time, the two began meeting at Churchich Park, near 52nd and B streets in Omaha. Neighbors eventually became suspicious and called police in May 2007.

TT - "Rehabilitation" included 85 psychiatric sessions to address his problems. He had performed 148 hours of community service for groups such as Habitat for Humanity. Big deal. The only thing left was to buy a low-carbon-footprint car and flog Global Warming.

The prosecutor was troubled by the fact that Holcomb has suggested that both girls were the aggressors.

However, Holcomb's attorney, Steve Achelpohl, said Holcomb no longer feels that way. He has come to realize just how damaging his actions were - and two therapists said he was unlikely to offend again, Achelpohl said.

In a brief statement to the judge, Holcomb said: "I recognize my acts were horrible and caused a lot of hurt. I'm completely committed to getting better."

Holcomb will serve two years before he is eligible for parole and 2 1/2 before he is released. Under state sentencing guidelines, defendants serve half their lower term before parole eligibility; almost all are released after serving half their upper term.

Cass Lake, MINNESOTA

Jan 25, 2008 -
Eddie Himes, 65, an emotional and behavioral disorders teacher at Cass Lake-Bena Middle School, was arrested on suspicion of possession and distribution of child pornography.

The case has been forwarded to the Beltrami County attorney’s office for consideration of charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.

Himes was arrested following an investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, St. Paul Police ICAC Unit and Beltrami County Sheriff’s investigators, a press from the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.
Full Name: Eddie Eugene Himes

Cass Lake teacher in court to face child porn allegations
About 290 students in grades five through eight attend Cass Lake-Bena Middle School

Area teacher charged with possessing and disseminating child pornography

Himes admitted to possessing the pornographic pictures of children and sending them back and forth via the Internet to people with whom he communicated in chat rooms, the complaint states.

His next court appearance is Feb 19.

SENTENCED (sorta) - July 22 - Himes admitted to possessing the pornographic pictures of children and sending them back and forth via the Internet to people he spoke to in chat rooms. He was sentenced on four counts of felony possession of child pornography and one count of felony dissemination of child pornography.

He was sentenced to

a total of an 84-month stay of execution on a series of conditions for 12 years of supervised probation. He is subject to a 60-month conditional release on each count.

Himes must serve 150 days of probationary jail – 30 days for each count. He must abide by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, pay a $300 fine plus costs, pay a $700 polygraph fee, enter into and complete sex offender treatment, engage in individual and/or couples therapy as recommended, complete the Abel Sexual Interest Inventory, have no unsupervised contact with minors, submit to polygraph testing, take all his medications as prescribed, not use the Internet, have no possession of sexually explicit materials, submit to random searches of his person and property, submit a DNA sample, comply with predatory offender registration and remain law abiding. The person supervising his contact with minors must be approved by the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Gary, INDIANA

June 12, 2008 - Donald Pennington, 60, a teacher at Bailly Middle School, pleaded guilty to fondling two girls who were 12 and 13 years old at the time.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped more serious felony charges of child molesting and sexual misconduct with a minor. The maximum he will face when he is sentenced July 23 will be three years in prison.
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TT - Not surprisingly for Gary, Indiana, the school rates a 1 at GreatSchools.net. for these kinds of test scores:

English Language Scores - 8th Grade
State = 69% at or above proficiency (proficiency = at or above grade level)
This School = 23%

Math Scores - 8th Grade
State = 74% at or above proficiency (proficiency = at or above grade level)
This School = 18%

Students are 97% black, 1% Hispanic and 1% other. 78% are eligible for a free lunch.

TT entry for another Gary, Indiana school with online resource link to schools in Indiana.
Link for Bailly Middle School. The 2007-08 Avg Teacher Salary: $58,332
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SENTENCED July 23 - Pennington was sentenced to 30 months in prison. [The story was from a news release from the Lake County Prosecutor's Office. However, there are no online press releases at their site.]

Post-Tribune: (July 24) At the sentencing, the district attorney presented a letter from the mother of one of the girls, which the judge read aloud in court. The woman said her daughter is receiving counseling to help her heal from the emotional scars caused by the crime. The family moved to another state because the child was teased.

UPPERCASE Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. told Pennington, "For what you did you deserve to remain a convicted felon," Stefaniak said, barring any chance that Pennington's felony conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanor when he gets out of prison.

Thank you

Thank you for all your get well wishes. With over 200 e-mails containing update information, it will take a few days to get caught up.

Thank you.

U.K. Pedophile

British teacher who raped 5-year-old girl worked in American summer camps.

From BBC News: June 20, 2008 - Neil Challis, 35, a teacher who taught in 13 different schools across Derbyshire, has admitted repeatedly raping a young girl and taking photographs of pupils.

The girl, who was not a pupil, was five when he started abusing her and it continued for five years. When arrested, police found 3,940 indecent images on his laptop. Most of the images were downloaded from the internet, others from a camera used to secretly take photographys up the skirts of girls he taught. Some of the pictures were of the attacks on the girl.

Police said they would hand over their files to authorities in the US, where Challis worked in summer camps.
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IF YOU RECOGNIZE the name or the picture, you can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at their 24-hour hotline or report online at their CyberTipline.

The Center is a private, non-profit agency established by Congress. Largely funded by The US Justice Department, it is the clearinghouse of information and as a contact point to parents, children, law enforcement agencies, schools, and communities in cases of child abduction, child sexual abuse and child pornography.
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SENTENCED July 8 - The camp where he worked was in Poland, Maine, a a popular destination for the children of New York bankers and lawyers. British authorities said they discovered underwear from campers in the man's Derby, England, residence and that some of the 4,000 indecent images of children found in his possession may have been taken at the camp.

According to current and former campers and their parents, Mr. Challis was a well-liked counselor and camp photographer at Tripp Lake, which costs about $10,000 for seven weeks

Challis was sentenced to 14 years in prison and could be kept longer if it is determined he is still a danger to the public.

Scio, OHIO

Love letters to a 13-year-old girl.



Oct 25, 2007 - A judge ruled that Richard Prusha, a Harrison Hills Junior High School language arts teacher accused of sending love letters to a student, can have contact with female juveniles. The judge removed all bail restrictions.

Prusha is on paid administrative leave.

NOT GUILTY PLEA Prusha pleaded not guilty in May to stalking in connection with several love letters he wrote to a 13-year-old student. The girl's mother found the letters and turned them over to the school.

Prusha's trial is scheduled for Jan. 8. [We cannot find Prusha's age, but he looks to be over 35.]

TRIAL DELAYED (Again) May 7 - Prusha's trial has been delayed again on fourth-degree felony menacing by stalking charges. Scheduled to go on trial May 5, the court postponed the trial to allow a civil case in the matter to continue.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 8, 2008 - Prusha pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of criminal trespassing. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail - not prison - and 18 months of probation.

At his sentencing Monday, Prusha appeared remorseful.
"I am truly sorry that she's gone through what she's gone through and I apologize to her and her family," he said.

The victim's mother said she was proud of her daughter "to be able to come forward to me (with) what her fears or suspicions were."

Mt. Angel, OREGON

Six months in jail and 180 days of probation, registration as a sex offender.
He can have no contact with children, including his own.

May 21, 2008 - Colby Molan, 35, a Kennedy High School health teacher accused of sex abuse and official misconduct involving two female students was arraigned Tuesday.

Molan is accused of kissing and groping a 14-year-old student May 2 in the downstairs physical-education office at the school. Police also have accused him of having two sexual encounters with an 18-year-old student in school offices, according to jail documents.

Molan's attorney requested that Molan be allowed visitation with his children under conditions set by the Oregon Department of Human Services. Molan was arrested May 13 on charges of Official Misconduct in the First Degree and Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree.

TT - Molan "wore a polo shirt and jeans," according to the reporter. We wondered if he was barefoot.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING July 8 - Molan pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree sex abuse and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and five years of probation.

A second charge of third-degree sex abuse involving the 14-year-old and a charge of official misconduct were dropped as part of the plea bargain, Murphy said. The official-misconduct charge involved consensual sex with a student who was 18 at the time.

A third-degree sex abuse conviction means his teaching license automatically will be revoked. (