Brighton, COLORADO

Another chapter in the sordid Brighton Charter High School saga. Sentenced again. It would be good to think that she won't be teaching again. But it's Colorado.
Pity me picture.

Nov 13, 2006 -
An arrest warrant was issued for Carrie McCandless, 29, a social studies teacher and cheerleading coach at Brighton Charter High School, on charges of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. She also faces a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The charges stem from a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student.

Her contract was terminated last week. She is also the principal's wife. It gets worse.

This is the second time in less than a year an adult at Brighton Charter High has been investigated for having an inappropriate relationship with a student,

David Mundy, Jr., 31, who used to be a substitute teacher at the school, pleaded guilty earlier this year to sex assault on a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Mundy was a Brighton firefighter at the time of the incident. He resigned in October because of the case. Mundy also has ties to school management. He is the son of David Mundy, Sr., the chairman of the charter school board of directors.

Continued here for space considerations.

SENTENCED June 8 - Denver Post: McCandless was sentenced to 45 days on the misdemeanor charge. Compare the Denver Post with Rocky Mountain News:

Judge James Hiatt told the 30-year-old former Brighton Charter High School teacher that she was supposed to be the trusted adult who set the boundaries.

"All of this sounds like something a 16- or-17-year-old student would be doing and would have been expelled for," he said

The Rocky Mountain News also reports that she will serve five years of probation and be required to register as a sex offender. They also report that In court today that as McCandless was led away, she blew a kiss to her husband and friends, saying: "Goodbye, guys."

JAIL - NOT PRISON - TIME March 31, 2008 - McCandless turned herself in to serve 30 days in jail - not prison. She turned herself in Friday on charges related to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. From The Coloradan: It's unclear exactly what the charges are, and whether they are new ones or violations stemming from her original conviction last summer.

CHARGES - The sexual encounter was discovered on March 6 when a parole officer arrived at the apartment of another one of his parolees and he found McCandless in bed there. The sex was a violation of her probation terms because it was not reported to or approved by McCandless' treatment team.

Upon discovering her at the apartment, McCandless also did not originally disclose the offense to the parole officer. The encounter also resulted in her violation of the 8:30 p.m. curfew established as a term of her probation. The sexual encounter was discovered on March 6 when a parole officer arrived at the apartment of another one of his parolees and he found McCandless in bed there. The sex was a violation of her probation terms because it was not reported to or approved by McCandless' treatment team. It was not her husband or a juvenile.

McCandless also had another sexual encounter in December that was not approved or reported to the treatment team.

SEXUAL OFFENDER INTENSIVE SUPERVISION The five years of intensive supervision requires permission from parole officers before she can seek sexual contact with others.

McCandless remains married to the charter school's former principal. She, her husband and the school are being sued negligence stemming, in part, from her criminal case.

BRIGHTON SCHOOL - April 6 - The Denver Post looked at the history of the troubled school and the scandals. One new fact: Chris McCandless resigned as principal and runs a pet-sitting business.

Brandon, MISSISSIPPI

Lawsuit: "...negligent misrepresentation of Ozborn as a teacher with good moral character."

Nov 21, 2006 - David Lee Ozborn, (David Ozborn) 38, Richland High School biology teacher, was sentenced to 40 years for sexual battery of two students. He had impregnated both students (ages 14 and 15) twice each and arranged for out of state abortions. He will not be eligible for parole.

The Sun-Herald reported that Ozborn's bond had been revoked in June after he allegedly tried to run off the road the car carrying one of his accusers and her parents. He was charged with intimidating a witness.

Mar 28, 2007 - The family of one of the victims filed a lawsuit against the district, the school, and principal Stanley Shows. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages, and they're requesting a jury trial. Among other things, the suit alleges "The suit also alleges breach of duty to K.B., infliction of emotional distress, and negligent misrepresentation of Ozborn as a teacher with good moral character. "

Ellisburg, NEW YORK

Nov 14, 2006 - Michael VanWormer, (shown) 37, science teacher and coach at South Jefferson Central School District, was sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years probation after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a 14 year old girl. The girl's parents had complained to police.

VanWormer's brother, Gerald, pleaded guilty to sodomy, third degree, in 2001, for an incident involving a 16 year old girl. At the time, Gerald VanWormer was a teacher in the Watertown school district.

Freehold, NEW JERSEY

May 24, 2005 - Matthew R. Daley, 32, Latin teacher, was convicted of manslaughter for killing is 49-year-old drug dealer "in the heat of passion" - a homocide committed as a result of reasonable provocation. Daley beat Linda Weed, slit her throat and broak nine of her ribs when "she threatened to reveal his drug habits to officials at Christian Brothers Academy in Middletown, where he taught Latin."

Jan 5, 2007 - Unable to follow up on sentence. Not in any search engines or archives.

Cook County, ILLINOIS

SENTENCED
Sep 12, 2006 - Robert Sperlik Jr., 46, a band teacher at Berwyn School District for 20 years, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual abuse of 11 girls in age from 9 to 14 between 1998 and 2003.

"He had faced a total of 243 charges in 11 cases involving 20 victims." He pleaded guilty to a number of felony charges including aggravated kidnapping, unlawful restraint, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and indecent solicitaiton of a child.

A Principal at the school was acquited of charges of failing to report previous allegations of child abuse in 2001. A civil lawsuit is pending in a federal court against the Principal and 100 officials.

CNN had originally presented the story as "complicated by the strong belief of many parents that the teacher is being falsely accused." Police noted, according to CNN, that they found two letters of reprimand in his personnel file, disciplining him for inappropriate touching.

West Bend, WISCONSIN

Sept 30, 2006 - James Catalano, 35, a Germantown High School science teacher was convicted of sexual assault of two 16-year-old students. He was sentenced to two years probation and 50 days in jail. He requested jail.

UPDATE: After requesting his probation be revoked, he was sentenced to nine months in jail.

Brownsville, TEXAS

October 2006 -- In a case that illustrates the difficulty of prosecuting sexual abuse charges, Samantha Drash, a Pace High School teacher, is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a male student.

On Aug. 24, Villalobos had said if an agreement could not be reached with Drash and her attorney within two weeks, the case would go before a jury.

As of Monday, no agreement had been reached and no trial date had been set.
Villalobos said there is not timetable when it comes to justice.

“Because of the difficulties with the parents and the victim we are still trying to get some concessions from the defendant,” Villalobos said.

The concessions include Drash giving up her teaching certificate and removing herself from coming into contact with young boys.

She was scheduled to go to trial in May, but the family at that time and today is refusing to cooperate with authorities.

Nov 23, 2006 - no updates. No online info available.
Nov 28, 2006 - Case was dismissed. Could be refiled if victim agrees to testify.

Spotsylvania, VIRGINIA

Sept 22, 2006 - Bonnie Davis, 36, "entered an Alford plea to two misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The plea means Davis doesn't admit guilt, but acknowledged that the prosecution had enough evidence for a conviction." She taught at Courtland High School. The 15-year-old student said he had sex with her several times. Parents had to turn to a private investigator to find evidence to arrest the teacher.

In jail since March, she will not serve any additional time. Under terms of the plea agreement, she will not be allowed to teach in any public school in Virginia.

UPDATE: Sentenced to two six-month suspended jail sentences and faces no active probation.
Full name: Bonnie Sue Davis

Boulder, COLORADO

Nov 9, 2005 - Laurence Reed Senterfit, 44, teacher and licensed counselor as well as a foster parent, was pleaded guilty to five felony counts of exploiting children and was released on bond. The Boulder County district attorney was considering no prison time for the offenses. Police found videotapes and photos of nude children.

UPDATE: Nov 22, 2005 Senterfit committed suicide in his home. The newspaper account of his suicide included the fact that police had found a hidden camera in his bathroom, 19 videotapes with 114 episodes of children in various stages of undress. Police were able to identify 15 children between the ages of 8 and 17.

Why they accepted his guilty plea and dropped most of the charges is unknown especially after police found children who reported similar abuse going back 15 years.