Marquette, MICHIGAN

October 27, 2007 - Kevin Wilson, 49, a computer science and band teacher at Bothwell Middle School, was ordered to stand trial on accusations of having sex with an underage girl a dozen years ago.

A preliminary examination was held Monday. Marquette County District Judge Dennis Girard ruled there was sufficient evidence for a circuit court trial on both counts

He is accused of having sex with the girl twice in 1996, when she was between 13 and 16 years old.

The defense argued that the relationship - between the 49-year-old Wilson and the 15-year-old girl - was consensual. Judge Dennis Girard did not agree.

"In this case, I believe there was probable cause," the judge said. "The saying he was going to leave his wife, the saying that she was the only one, these sorts of things certainly have an impact, especially on a 15-year-old."

ARRESTED October 20 - Wilson was arrested Friday after a month-long investigation. He has been charged two felony counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct. Reportedly Wilson, a 20 year employee of the school system, also taught band at high and middle schools over the course of his career with Marquette Area Public Schools.

TV6 (October 17) - Police told TV6 an alleged victim came forward on Sept. 12 with information on Kevin Wilson. And through their investigation, police say they've now identified multiple possible victims.

Superintendent Jon Hartwig says Wilson has not been teaching at Bothwell Middle School since administrators found out about the investigation on Sept. 25.

As a tenured teacher, Wilson remains technically employed by the school district. But school administrators say they're working with the teachers union to determine if and when Wilson will resign.

Other charges have not been filed against Wilson for other alleged sexual relationships with students because of the statute of limitations, according to police.
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Google Map of Marquette (via GreatSchools.net)

Aiken, SOUTH CAROLINA

October 24, 2008 - Stephen Eubanks, 67, a former principal of Winyah High School, was arrested on charges of molestation in that area that date back to the 1970s. He is being charged with lewd act upon a child under the age of sixteen, exposing of private parts, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of enticing children - both male and female - from North Augusta High School and Paul Knox Junior High in Aiken.

Eubanks worked in Georgetown at the high school just before it closed in 1985, according to local school district officials. It is unclear why he left the Georgetown School District. Since his arrest, police officials said additional calls have come into the hotline (listed below.)

The S.C. Law Enforcement Division has set up a special number dedicated to this ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact 1-800-414-2826.
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Comment at the story:

As a public school teacher for over 30 years I have seen numerous cases of faculty or staff becoming involved with kids in inappropriate and often illegal ways. In many cases when the unsubstantiated allegations begin to surface in the school and community the accused is often encouraged to move on. “We will give you a neutral or even positive recommendation; we don't need this kind of scandal. Just get out of town"- type of attitude.

I’m guessing that kids become adults and harbor feelings of guilt or even resentment, then finally many years later something happens that compels the person to come forward.

As a seventh grader in another state I was the victim of inappropriate touching and fondling by a male teacher in a tutoring session after school. I never told anyone for various reasons I didn’t understand at the time. This perpetrator was eventually dismissed and lost his teaching credentials because others came forward who were braver than me. It is a pity that these charges against Eubanks didn't surface much earlier.

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October 22 - Victim speaks after former Aiken County principal makes bail
Video interview as well. Eubanks is scheduled to appear in court December 5.

October 22 - Possible sex crimes connection between Eubanks, Meloan
(North Augusta Planning Commission Chairman Edward Meloan was sentenced to serve 78 years in prison for sexually abusing teenagers in the late 1960s and 1970s.)

October 22 - Ex-school administrator arrested on sex charges
Eubanks also served as an administrator with the Georgetown and Lancaster county school systems.

October 23 - SLED: Hotline set to investigate former school administrator 'very active'
(SLED: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division)
- QUOTE Local officials have said Eubanks had an erratic work history, hopping from school to school for several years. His South Carolina certification expired in 1999, but his Georgia certificate is valid until 2020.

He graduated in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in social studies from Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga., and received a master's degree in education administration from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. in 1974 .UNQUOTE

October 23 - Sex abuse suspect released
QUOTE North Augusta Detective Tim Thornton said the case was sent to SLED because it was "somewhat connected to an earlier investigation" conducted by SLED of Edward Meloan, who was arrested in July 2007 on charges of molesting a 12-year-old boy in the 1970s. UNQUOTE

Salamanca, NEW YORK

October 20, 2008 - Police arrested 7th grade science teacher Michael J. DuPont, 42, on three counts of sodomy in the second degree. The charges stem from acts of sodomy committed with a student in April and May of 2002.

Investigators say there they believe there are several victims that have not come forward. DuPont’s case has been turned over to district attorney Ed Sharkey for action with a grand jury.

DuPont teaches at Salamanca Middle School. Doug Hay, SCS district superintendent said as of Sunday evening, he suspended DuPont until the charges have been resolved.“Under New York State education law, when a teacher has charges like these, the individual is suspended,” Hay said. “Last evening (Sunday), I delivered his letter of suspension personally to his house.”

Oct. 21 - School district helped conduct DuPont investigation
In the school district’s effort to ensure the safety of DuPont’s students, Doug Hay, district superintendent, said school employees paid frequent visits to his classroom throughout the week.
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INFO: No contact number was provided. But if you have information, please contact the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office at one of the numbers provided at their web site.

Madison, WISCONSIN

October 13, 2008 - Todd M. Strang, 36, a high school teacher, was charged with two felony counts of having sex with a student over the age of 16.

The criminal complaint alleges that Todd M. Strang was a teacher at a high school in Lafayette County in 2000 and 2001 and engaged in sexual intercourse at his residence with a student who was attending the high school while Strang was employed as a teacher at the school.

The incidents occurred while the student was a junior and senior at the high school. A status conference is scheduled for Dec. 16.

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TT Note: Location will change when find out the name of the school. There currently is no press release online from the Wisconsin Attorney General's Office that is the source for the news stories.

Burley, IDAHO

Story dated May 9, 2007 - James Pepcorn, 67, a retired teacher, was arrested and charged with one count of rape and one count of lewd conduct with a child under 16 years old.

Pepcorn was hired by Cassia County School District in 1966, and taught at Burley High School for six years. He then transferred to Burley Junior High School, where he taught science until he retired in 1994, according to school district records.

The Pepcorn family indicated he used the threat of violence against family members to prevent disclosure and told them he would never go to jail, which prompted the bond to be set so high.When Pepcorn was arrested he was armed with a 9 mm handgun, but was placed under arrest without incident. He's being held on a $1 million bond. (Bail reduced to $100,000 in June.)
NEW CHARGES Nov 19 - The trial has been delayed. New charges have been added. A Special Prosecutor took over the case when Minidoka County Prosecutor Jason Walker recused himself to avoid a potential conflict of interest. Walker's law firm at the time had represented Pepcorn in a civil matter some years earlier.

A preliminary will be held on the new charges new charges of two counts of lewd conduct and one count of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16, stem from the testimony of a second alleged victim who has come forward since Pepcorn's arrest in April.

The first victim is now in her 20s. Bail for Pepcorn was originally set at $1 million, then reduced to $100,000 in May. Stipulations for bail reduction require monitoring of his location with a Global Positioning System tracker.

NEW CHARGES Feb 6, 2008 - Judge Rick Bollar found sufficient evidence to move forward with newly-filed lewd conduct and sexual abuse charges against Pepcorn. Since his arrest, new charges have been filed including two counts of lewd conduct and one count of sexual abuse of a minor child.

Charges are expected to be combined as one case at a Feb. 11 hearing

NOT GUILTY PLEA March 10 - Pepcorn pleaded not guilty. He faces several charges of rape and lewd conduct with a minor, recently filed by Fifth District Court Judge John Melanson. Now it needs to be decided if the two cases will be combined before it all goes to trial. A consolidation hearing will be scheduled for April 28.

TENTATIVE TRIAL DATE Judge Melanson has set a tentative June 18th jury trial date, with a June 9th pretrial. We'll know by late April if the two cases can be combined.

GUILTY VERDICT October 3 - A jury deliberated for more than five hours Thursday before finding Pepcorn guilty of 3 counts of lewd conduct with a child, rape and two counts of sexual abuse of a child. A judge had agreed to move the trial to Twin Falls due to excessive pretrial publicity.

SENTENCING DATE Times News (Oct 4) Pepcorn could face life in prison

Pepcorn took the stand in his trial that spanned more than a week. He said he molested other children more than 30 years ago due to a hyperactive sex drive, but stopped after the 1970s.

The statue of limitations has passed on those crimes . He will be sentenced Dec. 15 in Minidoka County.

Roseville, CALIFORNIA

September 24, 2008 - A judge reduced bail for James Hirleman, 48, a seventh-grade teacher at George Buljan Middle School, from $350,000 to $250,000.

Hirleman was arrested last week and was booked on suspicion of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child, accused of carrying on a five- to six-year sexual relationship (from 1999 to 2005) that began when the boy was 13, according to the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Rocklin police detectives made the arrest after investigating information provided from a previous arrest of another person in a local case, Police Lt. LonMilka said. The detectives pursued the case with the cooperation of Roseville police and the combined efforts of the Placer County Sheriff's Department, the Placer County District Attorney's Office and a county special investigation unit.

The criminal complaint alleges six counts of lewd acts upon a child, six counts of oral copulation of a person under the age of 16 and two counts of sodomy of a person under 18.Hirleman has pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of molestation.
Full Name: James Albert Hirleman

Bradford, VERMONT

Sept 16, 2007 - Richard Foster, 51, a 6th grade school teacher at Bradford Elementary School, was arrested Friday night on felony crimes against a child. The victim now lives in Florida.

The charges multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault on a minor; lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor; possession of child pornography; use of a child in a sexual performance; and luring a child for sexual exploitation.

After being released on bail, he attempted suicide.

The investigation is continuing and state police urge anyone with information to contact Detective Sgt. Tim Page at the Bradford barracks at 222-4680.

Sept 17 - WCAS-TV reports:

Police say the boy who had been most abused moved to Florida this summer and the crimes came to light last week when his parents discovered graphic photos of Foster on the boys cell phone. His parents contacted Vermont state police.

Sept 17 - From the Boston Globe: Excerpts from Foster's suicide notes.

Sept 19 - He was released from the hospital. He now faces federal, as well as state, charges -a federal criminal complaint charging him with production of child pornography.

INDICTED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY: Sept 28 - Foster was indicted by a grand jury on federal child pornography charges. Foster is already facing four felony state sex charges. He is being held without bail at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.

NEW CHARGES Dec 21 -Foster been charged with six new counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one new count of attempted luring of a child.

MORE VICTIMS - Jan 7, 2008 - Police have identified more victims. The total now is four.

MORE COUNTS Feb 29 - New federal charges have been filed. A federal grand jury has indicted him for nine counts of producing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

GUILTY PLEA September 19 - Foster pleaded guilty to two charges of production of child pornography involving children under the age of 12. Under the plea deal, Foster will be sentenced to at least 25 years in federal prison. He'll also have to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. He will be sentenced in December.

He also still faces state charges of sexual assault that could add many more years to the sentence.
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U.S. Department of Justice press release (dated September 19, 2008)

Foster is presently scheduled to be sentenced on December 22, 2008.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, the United States will seek a sentence of between 25 and 27 years in prison. Foster has agreed not to seek a sentence of less than 25 years in prison. His ultimate sentence will be determined by the Honorable William K. Sessions III, as advised by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Under federal law, Foster faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and maximum term of imprisonment of 60 years. He will also be on federal supervised release after serving his prison sentence for a minimum of five years and possibly for life. He must also register as a sex offender.

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

Gilbert, ARIZONA

July - Victim objection to the plea agreement. Judge agrees to defer acceptance.
September - Sentenced (sorta) to 10 years of probation.



Dec 19, 2007 -
Gay Lyn Turley, 42, a Mesa High School teacher, coach and an employee at the Mesa Aquatic Center, was arrested on ten counts of sexual contact with a minor.

The sexual relationship with the girl began when she was 16-years-old and dated from 2003 through 2005. The victim is now 20. Turley admitted the relationship.

Gilbert Police are concerned that there may be additional victims in this case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Gilbert Police Department at 480-503-6500.

Dec 21 - The former student who accused Turley was arrested earlier this year on domestic violence charges. The arrest was made in August after the former student allegedly assaulted Mesa High School teacher and coach Gay Lyn Turley, 42, in her Gilbert home, police said.

She was also charged with disorderly conduct and criminal damage. The two had been living together since 2005, and were romantically involved since 2003. However, the former student recently moved out, police said. Turley is on paid leave.

NOT GUILTY PLEA Jan 18, 2008 - Turley pleaded not guilty to charges of having sexual conduct with a former student.

GUILTY PLEA - SENTENCING DELAYED July 24, 2008 - Turley pleaded guilty Thursday to sexual conduct with a minor, but the victim objected to the agreement that could mean Turley would only be charged with a misdemeanor.

Deputy County Attorney Harold Brenneman Jr. asked Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Helene Abrams to defer accepting the plea after hearing the victim's objections. Abrams granted his request and scheduled sentencing for Aug. 27

The charge is a class six felony and can be reduced to a misdemeanor because the victim was more than 15 years when the crime occurred. The difference would be one year in prison on the felony or six months in jail on the misdemeanor conviction.

SENTENCED (Sorta) September 20 - Turley was sentenced (sorta) to 10 years of probation. She will have to register as a sex offender. She must also surrender her teaching certificate.

Dover, DELAWARE

Sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Jan 11, 2008 - Jason W. Stalnaker, 33, a Capitol Baptist School teacher who resigned in 2003 to become a bus driver and a tutor, was arrested Wednesday on 295 charges that include first-degree rape and continuous sexual abuse of a child.

The victim, now 21, contacted city police last month. The abuse started when she was 15. Court papers allege that Stalnaker targeted the girl because he knew she had been molested by her grandfather at the age of 7 and “appeared to be weak,” according to court records.

The abuse began in May 2002 while she was a student at the Kesselring Avenue school. In July 2003, the girl and her family moved to Mississippi, and the Monday after she moved Stalnaker returned to work to find an anonymous letter that stated the writer would tell police of the abuse unless Stalnaker resigned.

Stalnaker eventually told his wife of the relationship, the affidavit states. She divorced him in 2005 after a two-year separation.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING Sept 12 - Stalnaker pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree rape and two counts of fourth-degree rape. Superior Court Judge Robert B. Young noted that he was ignoring sentencing guidelines and imposed a 15-year prison term, including 10 years that must be served before release is considered, and two years of work release.

He sentenced Stalnaker to one year in prison on each of the other two counts and imposed a total of four years of probation.

Powell, WYOMING

Jan 31, 2008 - Lovell High School teacher Troy S. Pittman, 33, a history teacher and football coach at Powell High School in the 1990s, was bound over for trial after a judge found probable cause for two counts of indecent liberties with a child. A third count was dismissed.

Pittman is accused of providing alcohol and pornography to minor boys (ages 13 - 15) at a private residence and persuading them to engage in specific sexual activities while he watched, according to the affidavit. The incidents occurred more than a decade ago when Pittman was an assistant football coach at Powell High School, the affidavit states.Pittman most recently had been a history teacher and football coach at Lovell High School.

He no longer works at Lovell High School. The superintendent for Big Horn County School District 2 said state laws requiring confidentiality of personnel records prevented him from providing further information on the change in Pittman's employment status.

Jan 31 - Pittman was charged in Big Horn County on Oct. 22 on what is apparently a separate matter. [tt- It is unclear what the charges were and if they involved students at Lovell HIgh School.] Rumors of his arrest in Big Horn County prompted additional disclosures about incidents alleged to have taken place more than a decade ago Powell High School. [tt -The Big Horn County charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement in Park County.]
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LEGAL NOTE (from article): Under a state law passed last year, all information about sex crimes cases is kept confidential until the matter advances to District Court.
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ARRAIGNMENT & NOT GUILTY PLEA April 5, 2008 - Pittman pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent liberties with a child. No trial date has been set.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING September 7 - Pittman pleaded guilty in Park County to one count of taking indecent liberties with a minor. Pittman was sentenced to three to five years in prison -- with time suspended -- in favor of 5 years of supervised probation.

The boys in the case refused to cooperate with prosecutors which led to the plea agreement. District Court Judge John Brackley, however, was stern.

Brackley told Pittman that he would ordinarily be "treated more harshly" during sentencing, but he understood that the complications in prosecuting the case justified the plea agreement as recommended by prosecutors.

"It may seem pretty easy," Brackley told Pittman in describing the sentence."But believe me, there are people out there in the community that have taken a dim view of your conduct," he said, adding that Pittman should take his sentence seriously.

State law requires that Pittman register as a sex offender.

Santa Maria, CALIFORNIA

Sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Feb 10, 2007 - Michael Cardoza, 58, a Pioneer Valley High School teacher, was arrested June 2006. He has pleaded not guilty to felony forcible oral copulation, felony oral copulation of a person under 18 and misdemeanor sexual exploitation of a child.

Cardoza was sent to Marian Medical Center Oct 2 after he overdosed on prescription sleeping pills in an apparent suicide attempt.

PRELIMINARY At his preliminary hearing on Friday, the judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to proceed with the three charges.

The prosecutor on the case, said there are seven John Does who were reportedly victimized by Cardoza through the years. They include students from Pioneer Valley, Santa Maria High School and Golden West High School in Visalia. The incident reported by the student from Visalia purportedly happened about 20 years ago.

The alleged victim in the current case visited Cardoza's house several times, and on one occasion, Cardoza showed him pornography on his computer, Goldman said.Cardoza then molested the boy and took nude photos of him, she said. The photo was found at Cardoza's house.
Scheduled to return to court Feb 22.

CONFERENCE May 4 - A readiness and settlement conference is scheduled for Aug 16. A trial date is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Cardoza, who is free on $200,000 bail, was placed on unpaid administrative leave by the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District pending the outcome of the charges against him. He has also taught at Santa Maria High School and Golden West High School in Visalia.

CONVICTED June 23, 2008 - A jury found Cardoza guilty on all seven counts he was charged with, including oral copulation with a minor both with and without force or duress. In addition to the oral-sex counts, Cardoza was convicted of documenting a sex act of a minor, molesting or annoying a child and development or duplication of an image of a child engaged in sexual conduct.

Cardoza is on unpaid leave from the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.

Jeff Hearn, superintendent for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, said today that now that Cardoza has been convicted, he would be separated from the district. The district would consult with the state to determine how to go about terminating his status as a full-time employee.

TT - Reminder. He was arrested in June 2006.
He will be sentenced July 31.

SENTENCED August 5 - Cardoza was sentenced to 16 years in prison. The judge said that he did not find the testimony of Cardoza credible, but found the testimony of the victim and other witnesses believable. Cardoza will have to register as a sex offender if he ever leaves prison.

TT - See this distasteful news article from Kcoy12 on the sentencing that not only names the student but states that "despite the drama, the young man has still managed to graduate from high school, and two months early at that."

The boy was 16 at the time and had attempted suicide before the molestation. At at the trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Cardoza had similarly victimized a number of boys and young men, but he was charged only with the abuse of McDaniel.

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.

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.

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.

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.

MINNESOTA

Feb 2, 2007 - Baofeng Wang, 37, an instructor at Xilin Lake County Chinese School, was arrested after two teenage girls near St. Paul told police he inappropriately touched them while he was their art teacher in 2001.

The warrant was issued in Minnesota. According to documents from Minnesota, the girls, who were 10 and 11 at the time, said Wang touched them while he taught art privately. At the time, Wang was living on campus at the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus. He is awaiting extradition to Minnesota.

In Illinois he was was charged with being a fugitive from justice and is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

MOTIONS DENIED May 23, 2008 - Wang was convicted by a jury on Feb. 11. A judge refused today to grant an acquittal or a new trial. Wang's attorney, Thomas Gallagher, argued in court today that one of the girls was 13 when the abuse occurred — meaning the crime did not conform to the specific charge, which involves victims under 13. He also argued that he and Wang were not treated fairly by the judge.

Ramsey County District Judge Michael Monahan denied the motions, saying, in part, that the victim's testimony was vague as to the exact time period involved, but that the jury had felt it was sufficient to prove the crime. Wang will be sentenced June 20.

SENTENCED June 20, 2008 - Art tutor likely to be deported

A former St. Paul art teacher convicted of molesting two young female students in his apartment was escorted to jail Friday afternoon and is likely to soon take a longer trip — when he is deported to China.

Baofeng Wang, 39, was sentenced Friday in Ramsey County District Court to one year in the workhouse.

His attorney, Thomas Gallagher, said a federal immigration hold likely would be put on Wang within days. After that, "he'll either win his appeal or go to China," Gallagher said. "It comes down to that."

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Note: See SENTENCING INFORMATION by poster in comments.
Wang was sentenced June 20. The case # is 62-K9-07-000361

Plainfield, ILLINOIS

July 3, 2008 - Paul Graff, 35, a physical education and health teacher at Wesmere Elementary School, is accused of sexually abusing a girl under age 13 at Hinsdale's public pool and at two homes between 1996 and 2001. He was arrested in 2006. A hearing is scheduled for July 22.

He is charged with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, stemming from incidents alleged to have happened in 1996, after he befriended the girl's family. Graff was 23 at the time and working at the Hinsdale Community Swimming Pool. Additionally, Graff is accused of abusing the girl between January and June 2001 in a Clarendon Hills home. In all four instances, the girl was younger than 13.

Graff has been free on bond since his Oct. 20, 2006, arrest. He was placed on leave from the school following his arrest. A court hearing is scheduled for July 22.
Full Name: Paul A. Graff
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Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 statement on his arrest (dated October 20, 2006)
DuPage County States Attorney Press Release (undated, but at the time of his arrest)

Scottsdale, ARIZONA

Delayed Justice: Guilty plea to sexual conduct in the 1980s. Finalist for National Teacher of the Year on probation for life.

Sept. 1, 2007 - Paul M. Knutson, 58, a Rogers High School (Rogers, ARKANSAS) science teacher, was arrested on five felony charges, including sexual contact with a minor, furnishing obscene or harmful items to minors, possession and sale of dangerous drugs, possession and sale of marijuana and possession and sale of narcotics.

The charges date back to between 1983 and 1985 in Scottsdale, Arizona when he taught at Chaparral High School. He worked in the Scottsdale Unified School District between 1973 ad 1984.

INDICTED Sept. 4 - Knutson was indicted on felony counts of sexual assault, sexual conduct with a minor and furnishing harmful materials to a minor.

Sept. 5 - Knutson’s ex-wife in Arizona told police that someone told her about the relationship and she confronted Knutson. He admitted it. From documents released by the police, another man also knew of the relationship.

Knutson is scheduled for a hearing Oct 17 to determine whether Scottsdale police have the proper paperwork for his extradition to Arizona.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE Sept 19 - The school board granted Knutson a leave of absence.

A leave of absence is more often granted for medical reasons or for a return to school, assistant superintendent Jane Webb explained after the board meeting. Knutson won’t be paid while he’s on leave, but he could be allowed to return to work if he can resolve the legal issues, she said. No ending date was set for the leave of absence.

NOT GUILTY PLEA Nov 9 - Knutson entered a not guilty plea. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Dec 13.

INDICTED Nov 13 - The prosecutor's office formally announced the indictment of Paul Knutson. The Grand Jury handed down 13 felony counts of sexual conduct with a minor and drug-related charges.

The woman told police she decided to come forward after nearly 25 years because she is a drug addict and in counseling for her substance abuse problem. She claims that Knutson taught her how to free base cocaine, according to a police report.

Knutson’s wife left him during the alleged incidents because he told her he was in love with the girl and wasn’t going to leave her, according to the report.

At least six cases in which employees of East Valley schools face sexual-related charges involving minors are moving through Maricopa County Superior Court. [They only mention two in the article.]

Dec 16 - Knutson is scheduled to appear at a hearing on Dec. 17. (Source: East Valley Tribune database.)

GUILTY PLEA May 9, 2008 - Knutson pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual conduct with a minor for a sexual relationship he had with a female former student in the early 1980s. He will be sentenced June 20.
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SENTENCED (Sorta) June 20 - Knutson was sentenced to two months in jail - not prison - and probation for the rest of his life. [Article doesn't say if it is supervised probation or unsupervised probation].

Judge Paul McMurdie of Maricopa County Superior Court said Friday he would have sent Paul M. Knutson to prison for up to three years if the offense had happened now, but he gave the teacher credit for living an exemplary life since the crimes happened.

Knutson taught at Chaparral from 1973 to 1984 and had sex with the student who was 16 and 17 from Jan. 1 1984 through April 22, 1985.

REMINDER
Ex-wife, Teachers, Principal Said To Have Known Of Relationship In 1980s (Sep 5, 2007)
A friend of Knutson's said that Knutson constantly spoke about the relationship, the police report stated. The man told police Knutson described the first time he had sex with the girl, in a storeroom attached to Knutson’s classroom.

The man also told police he and Knutson smoked marijuana together and the man believed Knutson provided marijuana to the girl.
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TT - Exemplary record or not, the man deserved prison time and lovercase judge™ Paul McMurdie was wrong to give him a discounted sentence because Knutson was a teacher. At the time of the illegal sex, she was 16 years old and Knutson was 34, twice her age. What does an "exemplary life" have to do with anything? What does it have to do with justice for the victim? It's like sentence reductions for "first time offenders" where the first-time victim has the misfortune to count for less.

(The term "lowercase judge" isn't trademarked, but it does mark those judges who don't deserve honorific capitalization of their titles for their idiotic decisions.)
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CERTIFICATE(S) REVOKED August 25, 2008 - The Arizona State Board of Education voted to revoke the teaching certificates of Paul Milton Knutson. (pg 3)

Cambridge, MASSACHUSETTS

When a gay activist complains about sexual abuse by a priest, the media respond like cocaine addicts to a line of white powder on a tabletop mirror. It's another story when students have their own tales of abuse.

June 8, 2008 - Daniel Weinreb is the lone protestor outside of Buckingham, Brown & Nichols, the exclusive Cambridge, MA, school.

He wants school administrators to openly acknowledge and investigate the sexual abuse he and others endured more than a decade ago at the hands of former teacher Edward "Ted" Washburn. The school doesn't need to fear lawsuits. The statute of limitations has long since run out.

Weintraub was 13 when he says Washburn asked him to perform a sexual act as he watched. Washburn pleaded guilty to raping his own nephew in 1987. Weintraub testified about his own abuse at the hands of Washburn at the trial. The educator was given a suspended sentence, ordered to continue psychotherapy, do 1,000 hours of community service, and stay away from boys age 16 and under.

It was a huge scandal. Washburn's father was the late Bradford Washburn, well-known explorer and director emeritus of the Boston Museum of Science.

Weintraub wants the school to improve efforts to find out if other students were victimized by Washburn, communicate with alumni about those efforts, and offer possible victims a weekend retreat with counseling.
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TT - Not mentioned in the article was Weintraub's website Opening BB Minds where he is trying to get in touch with other alumni and other victims. He posts their testimonials as well as letters from former faculty members.

At TT, we have a category called "Delayed Justice" for those students who have the maturity, determination and the courage to confront their abusers. Even if the abusers spend 50 hours behind bars after their conviction, it is a victory for the victim to have the truth established.

Because if we fail to do establish truth, we can find no solutions and justice becomes a whim.

Teachers have been having sex with students for a long time without recognition of the scale of the problem. In 2001, it was not difficult to find a news story a day about sexual abuse by an educator. That was when far fewer newspapers were online. Even today, we estimate that we only get 10-15% of the stories.

We know that because we visit teacher licensing boards and Boards of Education and local school boards where disciplinary actions include revocation or surrender of a license by a teacher and the surrender is not due to conviction, but is still listed as sexual misconduct with a student. That's because the age of consent is 16 in most states and teacher-student sex has been criminalized in slightly more than half the states.

Most states do not list their disciplinary actions against teacher licenses online, although states like New York list actions against 38 other professions. Educrats don't want the public to know.

Or other states.

When a Florida newspaper filed a public records request for a copy of the NASDTEC database, they summarized the Clearinghouse database of those teachers whose disciplinary actions were reported to the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification. The database has been cited for decades as the means of assuring that teachers who lost their licenses in one state would not work in other states. New York had about the same number as South Carolina - 897 and 896. In 27 years.

Until every state posts disciplinary actions against teachers' licenses, as does Florida and a few others, parents can't know and won't know about the problem because it isn't a hot button media issue. You can readily see the difference in the number of stories out of Florida. This isn't because they have the most sexually active teachers. It's because of the Saratoga Herald-Tribune series raised awareness to the level where administrators are fearful of not reporting.

The quietly-negotiated surrender keeps the teacher out of the classroom, but it does nothing to help illuminate the problem so we can find a solution, so that we can get on with fighting a battle to make educrats accountable for the billions they spend every year.

And it delays the hopes of every parent for a decent education for the child, one that they thought they were paying for.

West Point, KENTUCKY

Sex with a 13-year-old student in 1977-1978 nets four years.

June 7, 2008 -James Skaggs, 60, West Point Independent School, 62, a teacher at West Point Independent School, was sentenced to four years in prison. A jury found him guilty in April of four counts of third degree sodomy for having a relationship with a 13-year-old student.

The relationship started in the fall of 1977 and continued through 1978, according to court records. Skaggs later became superintendent of the Cloverport schools in Breckinridge County.
Full Name: James B. Skaggs

April 21, 2008 - Veteran Educator Convicted On Sodomy Charges.
Jurors saw a taped confession from Skaggs during his trial and ultimately convicted him on four counts of sodomy.