Akron, OHIO

RELEASED AFTER SEVEN MONTHS.



Feb 27, 2007 -
Claude Brown, 41, social studies teacher and coach at Buchtel High School, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to a single count of sexual battery of a 17-year-old female student.

``It was a consensual relationship,'' [Akron police spokesman Lt. Rick]Edwards said of the allegation against Brown.

``But in his position as a faculty member and teacher, there is no such thing as a consensual relationship when you're in the position of authority as faculty member to student.''

Asked to comment on the seemingly growing number of sexual incidents involving teachers and students, Edwards said: ``When you send your kids to school, you expect them to be in the best hands of caregivers that are there at school -- teachers, faculty members, gym teachers, athletics coaches and things like that.

`Here's a guy who violated that trust with, not only the students, but the parents and the community,'' Edwards said. ``He was well respected in our community, especially West Akron, for the football program that he's put together. Now he's ruined that trust with the community.''

The next hearing is March 9.
[Photo courtesy of Akron Police Department.]

Mar 9 - Brown pleaded not guilty. A preliminary is scheduled for Apr 21. Brown is on paid administrative leave. He is free on a $10,000 bond.

Apr 11 - Brown pleaded guilty to charges he had sex with a 17-year-old female student. As part of his plea, he will forfeit his teaching license and be labeled a sexually oriented offender. He pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery

He will be sentenced May 18.

May 16 - Brown was sentenced to two years. As part of his plea, Brown will also forfeit his teaching license and be labeled a sexually oriented offender.

He apologized to his wife, his family, his kids, his school and his West Side community.

Nov 28 - From the Ohio Educator Conduct database:
Basis for Discipline: Convictions for felony importuning and felony attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor
Discipline Action: Voluntary Surrender
Date of Action: September, 2007

Dec 6 - Brown will appear before a judge next month with a chance for early release from his two-year prison sentence for having sex with a 17-year-old female student. A hearing is scheduled for Jan 2.

[His attorney] told [Judge] Shapiro on Wednesday that Brown already has paid a steep price for his crime, saying Brown has served nearly seven months of his sentence, lost his jobs as a teacher and highly respected football coach, has no immediate job prospects and must face the consequences of being labeled a sexually oriented offender.

The misconduct involved six girls. The school district was aware of the alleged misconduct, according to Canton police records, and subsequently worked out an agreement with Brown and his lawyer in which Brown resigned after the 1989-90 school year.

Comment at news story: "He used his position of respect to abuse these young ladies and the young men who looked to him as a father figure who were left to wonder what is a real role model, particurly in a neighborhood which is devoid of male role models. It has become apparent that he has had a history, and is very lucky he isn't serving a life sentence for rape as I believe that was what actually occured (the age of the victim and the disparity of age & position). He should be serving a life sentence in my opinion, there were many victims, including his family !"

RELEASED Jan 2 - Brown was released in what is termed "shock probation" after serving only 7 months of a two year sentence.

Brown has admitted to a 20-year history of sexual inappropriateness with adults and girls, who were all his students.

TT - Of course, if you're the parents of the victim(s) you'll probably call it "Outrageous Sentencing." Seven months for a Tier-3 Sex Offender?

A Tier-3 Sex offender is defined as: Tier 3, which includes the most severe, sexual-based crimes - such as rape or sexual battery - requires verification every 90 days for the rest of the offenders life.

The judge was Judge Marvin Shapiro.

Buttonwillow, CALIFORNIA

Forty- one-year-old teacher and 12-year-old boy.




PLEADED NO CONTEST: Mar 5, 2007 - Sherry Brians, 41, a teacher at Buttonwillow, pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges of battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The plea agreement avoided jail time. She will face up to five years probation and 80 hours community service. She also must undergo psychological counseling and could lose her teaching credential.

She was arrested after a student's parents found a letter in their son's backpack that indicated the two had a romantic and physical relationship, according to reports.

She admitted to detectives she had an "inappropriate relationship" with the 12-year-old, [boy] according to reports. Investigators believe that relationship extended only to hugging and kissing and the exchange of love letters.

She has been on paid administrative leave since last year.
Full Name: Sherry Lynn Brians

Mar 6 - Her formal sentencing will take place May 11, but her sentence would include performing 80 hours of community service, five years probation and counseling. According to investigative reports, Brians and the boy told police that they hugged and kissed on numerous occasions in her classroom at the school. There was no indication of sexual contact beyond that.

SENTENCED: August 15 - KGET17: Brians was sentenced to three years probation and counseling. Under the terms of the plea bargain, two misdemeanor child molestation charges were dropped.

From May 5, 2006 story: North Country Gazette: She had been under investigation for several weeks after the boy's mother filed a complaint with police after finding a letter in her son's backpack which indicated that her son and Brians had been engaging in a sexual relationship on school grounds.

Lebanon, OHIO

ARRESTED and INDICTED May 23, 2007 -
Titus Wayne Loux, 71, a substitute teacher, was arrested. The Warren County grand jury indicted him on charges of importuning, a felony, and menacing by stalking, a misdemeanor, for attempting to solicit sex from a teenage neighbor.

A 15-year-old boy told his parents that Loux made graphic sexual references to him while he was at his house helping mow his lawn on May 15. His parents contacted police.

Authorities are contacting the schools where he worked. They include Lebanon, Lakota, Kings, Warren County MRDD and Warren County Educational Service Center.

GUILTY PLEA July 10 - Loux pleaded guilty to a charge of importuning. No sentencing date given.

SENTENCED: August 13 - Loux was sentenced to five years of community control, must stay away from children and must register as a sexual oriented offender. As part of today's sentenced Loux can no longer teach. The prosecutors office says Loux worked in the Lebanon, Lakota and Kings School districts, but LJoux did not meet his victim through those schools
Source.

Nov 28 - There are no online disciplinary records for Loux at the Educator Conduct database.

Winter Park, FLORIDA

Sentenced (sorta) to 1 year in county jail.


The "Love Defense" is when you need to keep the victim on your side until after sentencing.

GUILTY PLEA: May 9 - Edward Norton, 40, a Lake Howell High School English teacher and football coach, pleaded guilty to having sex with a 17-year-old girl who was a student manager for the football team, and two counts of possessing photos of them having sex.

Norton was accused of having a five-month sexual liaison with the girl. She is now 19 and reportedly plans to ask that Norton be spared prison. Lawyer: "He fell in love with this young lady. He was a football coach and a teacher and was respected and has lost most of that because of all this." [TT- Oh no! Even the digital camera????]

Norton was arrested Oct. 21, 2005 after a co-worker found papers that revealed he was "romantically involved" with a student. At Norton's home, authorities found 40 digital photos of the girl engaged in sex acts.

He is due to be sentenced July 2.
Full Name: Edward Vincent Norton

SENTENCED (Sorta): August 13 - Norton was sentenced to a year in the county jail -- not prison - followed by a year of house arrest, then five years of probation. He was facing a maximum of six years in prison.

The defense today called six character witnesses, including former students Norton had coached, who testified that he was a good coach and teacher, someone they turned to when they needed guidance.

The girl testified she was willing and not harmed.

The girl had also become pregnant by Norton, according to attorneys, but she lost the child to miscarriage before his arrest. She is now 19, married to another man and is expecting a child. She cut her mother out of her life for exposing the relationship with Norton.

Toledo, OHIO

July 2, 2007 - Tiffany Yglesias, 31, pleaded no contest to one count of theft from an elderly or disabled adult.

Yglesias was a Toledo Public Schools coordinator who helped author a 2006 guide on ways for parent-teacher organizations to avoid theft.

According to county Assistant Prosecutor Jeremy Santoro, Yglesias stole seven checks from her mother-in-law's purse and wrote them for a total of $2,880. She was attempting to pay off cash advances as well as return money to her husband's bank account that she had taken without permission.

She claims she had a shopping addiction.

In 2004, she pleaded no contest to one count of grand theft and two counts of theft. After being found guilty of the charges, Yglesias was ordered to serve four years of community control, including time in work-release, as well as pay $11,710.70 in restitution. She was warned that she faced 42 months in prison if she violated the terms.

Mr. Santoro said the circumstances of the 2004 case were similar to the recent one in that Yglesias stole checks and forged them.

No date for sentencing was given.

SENTENCED: August 8 - Yglesias was sentenced to 17 months in prison. The judge denied her request for time to get her affairs straightened out and ordered her into custody immediately.“You have to know this has to stop,” Judge Cook said.

The judge also extended community control for an additional two years for a previous conviction in 2004.

Yglesias has two daughters, age 9 and 11. The couple is in the middle of a divorce. Her husband denies she has a "shopping addiction."

TT - Unanswered is how she was deemed acceptable to work for the school district in 2006 after her 2004 conviction.

Nov 28 - There are no online disciplinary actions for this teacher at the Educator Conduct database in Ohio.

Brighton, COLORADO

Sentenced (sorta) to probation for failure to report sexual abuse of a student. Witness tampering charge dropped.

Jan 21, 2007 - David Mundy Sr, 53, Brighton Charter School Board president, pleaded not guilty to charges of tampering with a witness and failure to report sexual abuse. [TT-Bolding ours.]

Mundy allegedly waited to report alleged sexual contact to authorities between former Brighton Charter teacher Carrie McCandless and a teenage student on a school hiking trip to Estes Park in October until several days after it happened. McCandless’ case is being handled in Larimer County.

Mundy stepped down from the charter school board in December amid growing pressure from both parents and fellow board members. Mundy’s son, David Mundy Jr., was sentenced earlier this year in a separate case where he pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault on a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor for an incident involving three teenage girls including one Brighton Charter student. Mundy Jr. worked at the school as substitute teacher.

The trial is set for Jul 18.
TT entry for McCandless
TT entry for Mundy, Jr
McCandless' husband is principal of the school. He has not been involved in any of the improprieties.

June 15 - Mundy made a brief court appearance for hearings. Trial is scheduled for July 18.

GUILTY PLEA and SENTENCING : July 24 - Mundy pleaded guilty to a count of failure to report child abuse. District Court Judge Thomas Ensor "immediately sentenced Mundy, 53, to probation and a $500 fine." Charges dropped: tampering with three witnesses.

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ONLINE RESOURCE: Colorado teacher License Search LINK

Thompkinsville, KENTUCKY

Sentenced to ten years.

First reported: Jan 2, 2007 - WKBO had their own "Local 2006 Top 10 Stories" that included (at #7) " the case of a Tompkinsville teacher who’s charged with running off to Mexico with a 14-year-old student."

Angela Comer, 26, an 8th grade math teacher at Monroe County Middle School, is accused of having a sexual relationship with the boy and then taking him to Mexico. "Officials in Kentucky said the pair fled to Texas, and then Mexico, to try to get married." Comer is still in jail awaiting her trial." She was indicted in January 2006.

Update May 1 - Comer is asking for a change of venue for her trial.

Comer was arrested by Mexican officials in 2006. The middle school math teacher for fled the country with a 14-year-old student and her four-year-old son. In January 2006, Comer was indicted by a grand jury in Kentucky on felony custodial interference, two counts of third-degree sodomy and four counts of unlawful transaction with a minor relating to sexual acts.

CourtTV background story.

Comer is incarcerated while she waits for her trial. No date given for trial or explanation for the delay.

Update May 2 -The judge refused to grant a change of venue. Last fall, Comer was ruled competent to stand trial. Trial is scheduled for May 10.

Update May 9 - Comer pleaded guilty to a sodomy charge and to one count of custodial interference. The plea agreement, apparently, calls for 10 years in jail. The boy's grandmother was in the court. After Comer's arrest, the boy was removed from her care and put into a foster home. He's embarrassed by the incident and has had little contact with his family since he was moved into foster care, she said.

Comer gave an interview to the Associated Press after the court appearance. Comer said she expects to be eligible for parole after serving 24 months of the sentence. Comer has been in jail for the 16 months since her arrest.

Comer also said since her arrest her ex-husband has not permitted her to see her 5-year-old son, who is autistic.

Formal sentencing in June 20.

UPDATE June 20 - Sentencing was delayed because a presentencing evaluation wasn't complete. A new sentencing date has been set for July 18.

INTERVIEW - July 16 - Two days before sentencing, Comer wanted to tell her side of the story and a newspaper granted her an interview.

SENTENCING: July 18: Comer was sentenced to ten years in prison, five for each charge, to be served consecutively.

[Judge] Lovelace told the court room he was "appalled" at her behavior and considering any other punishment other than time served would minimize the seriousness of her crime.

She will be up for parole in 24-months.

Seminole, FLORIDA

May 17, 2007 - The student sexually involved with
Daniel Zdrodowski, 29, an assistant music instructor at Seminole High School, refused to testify against him.

Facing 15 years in prison as his trial was about to start, Zdrodowski pleaded no contest to a felony charge of engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

Zdrodowski faces a negotiated maximum sentence of no more than 5 1/2 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for June 14.

TT - They have to have bands in prisons. So many band teachers are sentenced. If he does the whole 5.5 years, the band could be competitive.

SENTENCED: July 14 - Zdrodowski was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison despite the "Five dozen teachers, parents and students" who asked for leniency.

"I believe those two people fell in love," testified Joyce Ostrom, a 61-year-old elementary school teacher who has known Zdrodowski since he was young. "This is a case where every law doesn't fit every crime."

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court Judge Nancy Moate Ley was not swayed. She sentenced Zdrodowski to 5 1/2 years in prison. He could have received 15.

"There's is no rule that says you are excused from having sex with a student as long as you are a nice person," said Ley, noting that she often gives talks at schools. "Mr. Zdrodowski, you have betrayed the trust that was placed on you as a teacher."

The St. Petersburg Times headline the student's refusal to testify: "Student refuses to testify against teacher-boyfriend"

The St. Petersburg-Times also editorialized against the sentence, effectively asking for an exemption for Zdrodowski.

St. Paul, MINNESOTA

When elementary school teachers have fantasies about child pornography, there's a problem.



Jan 3, 2007 -
James R. Wichmann, 47, a fourth-grade teacher at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Elementary School, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment for one count of possession of child pornography.

Authorities arrested Wichmann in October after being alerted to a contractor who found a folder with images of child pornography at Wichmann's home. He alerted police who found 200 pictures and also seized a portable drive with a number of images. Wichmann admitted that the pictures were his but that he never touched any of the girls, "that they were simply part of a fantasy, which he has never acted out."

He's on paid administrative leave.

PLEADED GUILTY July 5 - Wichmann pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.

Wichmann will spend six months in Burnett County Jail. He also has to remain in compliance with mental health providers. He will be on probation for 10 years.

TT - Is this the same Jim Wichmann who was listed on Teachers Groups Against the War?

Tyro, KANSAS

June 27, 2007 - Marsha Mote, 37, a Tyro Community Christian School teacher, was arrested for a bond violation that required her to stay away from minors. She pleaded no contest (I won't admit it, but you'll probably prove it in court.) to a charge of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

The charge was filed in March. She was accused of taking indecent liberties with a 14-year-old female student at Mote's school. She was arrested when she dropped her two daughters off at a public swimming pool.

The plea was accepted by the judge who found her guilty of the charge and set a sentencing date on September 13.
Full Name: Marsha J. Mote

(Age of student found in cache at Topix.)

SENTENCING DELAYED: Sept 26 - Sentencing has been delayed until Oct 4. No reason given.

Mote is married to the associate pastor at the church.

Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA

Mar 27, 2007 -
Michael Castleman, 42, a teacher at Bucks County Technical High School, pleaded guilty to charges that he tried to solicit sex from a 15-year-old boy he met on the Internet.

He pleaded guilty to court to the felony counts of solicitation to commit statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and -- for pornogrpahy found on his computer -- sexual abuse of children. He will be a registered sex offender. He was arrested in the spring of 2005.

Sentencing scheduled for June 25.

TT - Castleman visited a chat room favored by teenagers for a year, announced he was good at a sex act and later tried to arrange to meet to meet the boy. The boy changed his mind, the mother found out and called police. An officer met Castleman.

Pennsylvania Educator Discipline System is online. Discipline actions.

SENTENCED June 26 - Castleman was sentenced to 10 years probation.

Castleman’s specific address will be listed on Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law Web site for 10 years but it won't be updated.

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Pennsylvania Educator Discipline System is online. Discipline actions.

Oak Hill, WEST VIRGINIA

SENTENCED June 22, 2007 - Jerome Fruit, a Collins Middle School teacher, pleaded guilty June 13 to “knowingly and intentionally possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, also known as ‘coke,’ a Schedule II controlled substance.”

Fruit resigned. He will be sentenced Oct. 9.

SENTENCED - Fruit was sentenced to five years in prison in December 2007.

PENSION CHALLENGED According to a September 5, 2008 article, the state Consolidated Public Retirement Board asked the court to remove a former Fayette County middle school teacher convicted on federal drug charges from the state Teachers Retirement System. Which led to this editorial by the Charleston Daily-Mail.

New York, NEW YORK

Drug dealing teacher.

June 20, 2007 - Randolph Grant, 40, an assistant teacher at Greenburgh-Graham School, pleaded guilty to to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal sale of a controlled substance on the grounds of a school.

Police saw Grant selling crack cocaine to two adults last October in the yard of P.S. 28, a school for pre-kindergarten to fifth-grade students in upper Manhattan, Brennan said. Police recovered 30 crack vials from a cup Grant dropped to the ground when he saw the officers approaching, Brennan said.

The defendant has surrendered his teaching license and has permanently waived any right to apply for any future school-related licenses.

He will be sentenced July 5.

Fredericktown, PENNYSLVANIA

June 5, 2007 - Shawn Bellicini, 32, science teacher at Bethlehem-Center High School, was arrested after selling 10 OxyContin tablets for $625 to an undercover trooper.

He faces charges of one count of dealing of a controlled substance and two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Full Name: Shawn Paul Bellicini

A preliminary hearing is scheduled June 13.

Feb 8, 2008 - Bellicini entered a plea (described as a "general plea"?? ) on a charge of delivery of a controlled substance. The prosecution dropped the additional charges. The agreement did not include a fixed sentenced. The judge will decide. No sentencing date was given.

Honolulu, HAWAII

Oct 11, 2006 - Lee Nobuo Anzai, (Lee Anzai) 29, a Special Education High School teacher, was arrested, accused of selling crystal meth to an undercover officer. Drug sales were, apparently, arranged while he was at school.

Department of Education spokesman Greg Knudsen said there is no drug screening program for the state's 13,000 teachers without cause or justification.

Anzai's case "didn't involve students and it didn't really affect his job performance," Knudsen said.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin had details. Anzai has been a special education teacher for six years, and acknowledged to an undercover officer that he had been a user of the drug since the late 1990s. Police found a smoking pipe on Anzai and a torch lighter, scale, plastic bags with residue and $3,000 cash in his car. Meth pipe, other drug items, and a small amount of marijuana were found in his home.

DEA News Release.

GUILTY PLEA UPDATE: (Dec 20) Anzai pleaded guilty to dealing drugs. His plea deal will likely save him years in prison. Instead of risking a jury conviction on five counts of dealing crystal meth, he pleaded guilty today to just one count.

Amazingly,

Anzai says he has yet to be terminated from his school. The president of the Hawaii State Teachers Union says a capable teacher will be going to waste.

"I guess once he serves his time, everyone deserves a second chance," says Roger Takabayashi, president of the association. "According to his colleagues, he was a great teacher and had good relations with the students. It was just unfortunate things turned out the way they did."

Uh, yeah.

Dec. 21 - The Star-Bulletin report on the plea arrangement says "As part of his plea agreement, Anzai also admitted to four other counts of dealing ice at separate times and locations." AND "Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Kawahara said Anzai could be eligible for serving less than 10 years in prison under a provision called the "safety valve."
Under that provision, Anzai would need to admit to law enforcement officials and truthfully provide all information concerning the full scope and extent of his criminal conduct sometime before his sentencing, Kawahara said." Sentencing is set for June 4. Anzai has a wife and a 1-year-old son.

SENTENCING June 4 - Anzai was sentenced to 4 years. His cooperation with authorities led to the lower-than-expected sentence. However, District Judge J. Michael Seabright, who noted this afternoon that Anzai's position as a teacher in a drug case raised community concerns about "safety in education."

San Francisco, CALIFORNIA

Nov 15, 2006 - Dr. William T. Garner, 66, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.

Garner possessed more than 5,500 images containing child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors and images portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. He obtained the images through the use of the Internet.

Garner is Professor Emeritus in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. He was previously the Dean of the School of Education at USF and was the co-founder and director of the Center for Instruction and Technology at USF.

Ironically, the Center for Instruction and Technology promotes the use of computers and other technology in the classroom.

Source: U.S. Attorney's Office press release. (Dated Dec 12, 2006)
To be sentenced Mar 27, 2007.

May 27 - Gardner was sentenced to 63 months imprisonment. He was ordered to pay $50,000 community restitution to the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center. Judge Walker also sentenced Garner to three years supervised release. He must report to prison by June 18, 2007.

Source: United States Department of Justice Press Release. (Dated May 27, 2007)

Millbrook, ALABAMA

Story dated Mar 5, 2007 -
Daniel Platt, 50, an English teacher Middlebrook Middle School teacher, has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.

Millbrook admitted possessing hundreds of images of children engaged in sexually explicit activities, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Platt also faces state charges of sexual abuse and sodomy involving an 11-year-old girl. The girl was not a student of Platt’s. That case has been continued pending resolution of the federal charges.
Full Name: Daniel L. Platt

U.S. Dept. of Justice Press Release (Dated Mar 6, 2007

Platt is also facing charges at the state level for sexual abuse and sodomy of an 11-year-old girl who was not a student or former student of Platt’s. Platt was arrested for those charges on March 7, 2006. The state case, which is being prosecuted by District Attorney Randall Houston, has been continued pending resolution of the federal charges. The sexual abuse charge is a class C felony punishable by a sentence of one year and a day to up to 10 years. Sodomy is a class A felony punishable by a sentence of 10 years to life.

Update May 31 - Platt was sentenced ten years in prison and lifetime supervised release for possession of hundreds of images of children involved in sexually explicit activities. He still faces sex charges for sexual abuse and sodomy of an 11-year-old girl.

He joins a long list of educators
sentenced for child pornography in the last eight months.
Educators pleaded guilty but are not yet sentenced.

San Diego, CALIFORNIA

Nov 21, 2006 - Carlos Hernandez, 27, Sweetwater High School music instructor, was arraigned on molestation charges for having sex with a student. Two other women who testified recounted similar experiences with Hernandez.

Update: Feb 6, 2007 - Hernandez pleaded guilty to five charges, including having unlawful sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old female student. He will be sentenced Apr 10.

As a result of the plea bargain, 28 sexual assault charges were dismissed. The victim said she went to police last year after learning that Hernandez had been arrested on suspicion of molesting another student. Two other women testified that they had similar sexual experiences with the defendant when they were students.

Update May 30 - Hernandez was sentenced to a year in a residential work-furlough program, ordered to register as a sex offender and placed on five years' probation.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Deputy District Attorney Rachel Cano agreed to dismiss multiple charges of molesting two other girls when they were 17, including a second former Sweetwater High School student and a Vista woman who testified at an earlier hearing that Hernandez had sex with her after she met him on a band trip to Las Vegas.

“I wouldn't want anyone to suggest this isn't a serious crime,” the judge said. But, he said, “it's clear that he's not a pedophile.”

TT - How about calling him a sexual predator?

Newport, KENTUCKY

Nov 3, 2006 - Brandon Hall, 25, a Newport High math teacher, was arrested and charged with two counts of unlawful transactions with a minor - smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol with students at a party.
Three other adults are under suspicion and are thought to be high-ranking officials at the high school.

Nov 5, 2006 - Brandon Hall is accused of selling marijuana to students.

Jan 12, 2007 - Hall indicted. Police were staking out school board member Jim Hesch's house when they arrested Hall. He and his wife were arrested 5 days after Hall. Hesch is still on the school board. His wife has been suspended. [Our entry for Hesch and his wife.]

Jan 22 - Hall pleaded not guilty on charges related to providing alcohol to minors and helping juveniles smoke marijuana. He resigned in November after his arrest.

Not so Board member Jim Hesch or his wife. The Hesches are charged with several misdemeanor drug-related charges, including one count each of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor. Police say the Hesches were allowing juveniles to drink alcohol in their home on Grandview. She is an English teacher. She was suspended without pay. Jim Hesch remains a member of the Newport school board.

The school board is limited in action they could take against Jim Hesch, Voelker said. He said only the attorney general can remove school board members for violations such as missing three meetings in a row.“Jim never misses three meetings in a row,” Voelker said. “He rarely misses meetings.”

The Heschs' trial is scheduled for Feb 23. [See update for Heschs' below.]
TT - Heschs' entry.

Update Mar 6 - A hearing for Hall has been delayed until Mar 28.

Update Mar 30 - A trial has been scheduled for May 7th .

PLEADED Apr 30 - Hall pleaded guilty Monday to smoking marijuana with students. In the plea agreement, the prosecutor will recommend three years probation. Sentenced May 30.

SENTENCED May 30 - Hall was sentenced to three years probation and a $500 fine. As part of his probation, Hall must take drug and alcohol tests and participate in any recommended counseling.

Glen Burnie, MARYLAND

How does a teacher have a yearlong sexual relationship with a student and no one notices?

Mar 22, 2007 - Jeffrey Thompson, 37, a Glen Burnie High School band director, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor, under an agreement that says prosecutors will not seek more than 18 months in jail when he is sentenced in May.

The yearlong sexual relationship with the student began in May 2003 when she was 16. Thompson resigned last July, as this and allegations by another student were coming to light.

He is expected to plead guilty next week to molesting the second student. Police alleged that Thompson gave that student Gatorade mixed with vodka in the college dorm, and after she laid down because she felt dizzy, molested her.
Full Name: Jeffrey Stephen Thompson

Update Mar 24 - Thompson pleaded guilty to child abuse, stemming from a two-year relationship — from 2003 to 2005 — with a 16-year-old student.

Thompson will be sentenced May 15. His attorney said Thompson would plead guilty in the second case as well.

TT - you won't believe how the attorney characterized the relationship.

Update May 15 - The judge imposed a six-year sentence, suspending all but the 18 months and three years of supervised probation.

In a statement read to Judge Joseph P. Manck, the teenager said she has been ostracized by people loyal to Thompson since filing the charges against him...

Thompson "exploited my vulnerability, taking advantage of my naivete, faith in the goodness of people, and my blind trust of him. I made mistakes, but I was young and learning; it was his job to know better," she said. She said he ensured her that her parents trusted him, later helping her lie to cover her whereabouts.

Thompson gave up his teaching certificate in March of this year.

He will be sentenced May 31 in Baltimore County, where he has pleaded guilty to a second count of sexual abuse of a minor whom he molested at band camp in 2004 at Towson University after he gave her Gatorade mixed with vodka.

May 16 - Prosecutors have agreed that his Baltimore County sentence will be served concurrently with his Anne Arundel County sentence.

The victim gave a statement. "I lived a secret life for almost three years," the victim said in court, noting how she took her first pregnancy test alone in a Wal-Mart bathroom. "I missed out on the last years of my childhood and my transition to adulthood. As my teacher at a troubled and tumultuous time in my life, Mr. Thompson had a wonderful opportunity to encourage my growth."

Instead, he abused his position and exploited my vulnerability, taking advantage of my naivete, faith in the goodness of people and my blind trust in him."

Thompson was married at the time of these incidents. His wife, however, was granted a divorce in 2005, according to court records.