Titusville, FLORIDA

When she's old enough to be your mommy.

Apr 24, 2007 - Janet Hughes, 32, a business teacher at Jackson Middle School, was arrested after being found with a 16-year-old boy in a van. The two were partially clothed.Police said Hughes and the teen both said they'd had one previous encounter prior to Monday's arrest.

Hughes was charged with one count of unlawful sexual acts with a minor and one count of attempted unlawful sexual acts with a minor. She's being held on $70,000 bond.

Full Name: Janet Lea Hughes

WFTV - slideshow of Hughes' MySpace photos and mugshot.

Apr 26 - Hughes pleaded not guilty. Lawyer wants a trial.

NEW CHARGES: August 4 - The state attorney's office has filed new charges against a former Jackson Middle teacher accused of having sex with a 16-year-old student. The charges are one count of sexual battery on a child by a familial or custodial authority and attempted sexual battery on a child by a familial or custodial authority. They are 1st and 2nd degree felonies.

The state charges, which replace those Titusville police filed in April, are more serious and take into account Hughes' position as a teacher, Assistant State Attorney Julia Lynch said.

Brevard Public Schools fired Hughes May 8 for violating the teachers code of conduct and forwarded the case to the Florida Department of Education.

RECORDING: August 16 - Hughes and the victim tried to coordinate their stories, according to Local 6 News. The conversation between Hughes and the boy were recorded as they sat in the back of the patrol car the night she was arrested.

The seven-page transcript of the conversation was among investigative documents released by the State Attorney's Office to Local 6 News partner Florida Today. Those documents became public record after being requested by attorneys for Hughes, who faces one count of sexual battery on a child by a familial or custodial authority and attempted sexual battery on a child by a familial or custodial authority.

A court date is scheduled for September 10.

TRIAL DELAYED - Feb 5, 2008 - Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday but the case has been continued and is now scheduled for May 19.

Seattle, WASHINGTON

Trial date set.

Jan 7, 2007 - Alex Coberly, principal at Whittier Elementary School, was arrested and charged with indecent exposure.

Coberly has been on indefinite leave since Dec. 7, when the district learned he was the subject of a criminal investigation. The city attorney's office filed a misdemeanor complaint against him last week. Details of the complaint were not immediately available.

The school district's letter said the alleged incident "occurred outside of school hours and did not involve minors."

UPDATE - thanks to tip from poster
Jan 8 - Coberly was arrested for indecent exposure and it isn't the first time he has exposed himself. KIRO - Coberly said in the last five to six years he has exposed himself on several occasions.

But leave it to a columnist at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to even ask:

Even if true, should an educator's stupid, reckless, even criminal behavior finish him or her in education if those acts had no connection at all to any school, kids or campus? Must teachers and principals meet a higher behavioral bar than others because of their position of power and trust with children?

TT- how about stupid, reckless, criminal, indecent, immoral, disgusting, perverted? That isn't meeting a higher behavior bar than others. It's just asking for common decency.

Update Jan 15 - Coberly is married with two children. Coberly faces a possible 90 days in jail and a $1,000 maximum fine.

Update Apr 23 - Coberly pleaded not guilty and is now on administrative leave from Whittier Elementary School, according to the Seattle School District. Trial is scheduled for June 19.

Chattanooga , TENNESSEE

Apr 22, 2007 - Marquita Jett, 25, a teacher in Kennesaw, Georgia, was arrested at an adult club in Tennessee, charged with Possession of Marijuana and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

Five others were arrested. Police say most of those arrested were on probation or parole. The club's manager on a 34-year probation for violent felonies. Jett was described as a "stripper." Jett will be in court on April 30th.

Stevens Point, WISCONSIN

Child Pornography

Apr 21, 2007 - Michael Foret, 53, a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point history teacher is barred from the campus after officers arrested him on suspicion of possessing child pornography.

He was suspended with pay. Foret received the university's leadership mentor award.

He made an initial appearance in court earlier this week and is expected in court again on May 1.

Apr 25 - New rules designed to make it easier to fire professors won't impact Foret if he is found guilty. The new rules won't take effect until July 1. The U-W System Board of Regents drafted the rules after three Madison professors convicted of felonies ranging from stalking to sexual assault stayed on the payroll for several months in 2005.

WFRV reports that Foret allegedly posted several images of child pornography on the Internet along with pictures of himself that investigators used to track him down, authorities allege in the affidavit.

Several of the photos Foret allegedly posted under the name "Mick Wolff" were of girls between the ages of 10 and 13, the affidavit said. Investigators used a head shot Foret posted -- and another picture showing his naked body, including a tattoo of his wife's initials on his buttocks -- to find him, the affidavit said.

The Portage County district attorney has yet to file formal charges against Foret, but Department of Justice spokesman Kevin St. John said Tuesday he expected them in the coming days.

Update (Apr 28) - Foret was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography. "The defendant said that other people play fantasy sports and that he uses the Internet and these sites as his fantasy outlet," according to the complaint filed Thursday by Portage County District Attorney Thomas Eagon.

His areas of expertise included U.S. colonial history and North American Indians and he was known to enact Thomas Jefferson.

San Antonio, TEXAS

Apr 20, 2007 - Matthew Hernandez, 26, a teacher at El Sendero Christian Academy, was arrested following accusations that he sexually molested one of his teenage students.

A 15-year-old boy told his mother that Hernandez bought him "numerous expensive gifts" and took him in December to a motel, where they had sex, according to the arrest warrant. At one point, the student moved into Hernandez's home, sleeping in the teacher's bed, where Hernandez fondled him "numerous times," the student claimed, according to the affidavit.

Hernandez resigned in March after the boy's mother contacted school officials.
Full Name: Matthew Aaron Hernandez

Garland, TEXAS

Apr 21, 2007 - Wilfredo Carrion, 29 **, who taught Spanish at Naaman Forest High School, pleaded guilty to two counts of indecency with a child and one count of having an improper relationship between educator and student.

He was arrested in February 2005 after a two-month police investigation and placed on leave by the Garland school district. That May, school district officials decided not to renew his contract.

Before 2003, when the Texas Legislature passed a law banning sexual contact between an educator and any student, the teachers in the other two cases would not have been subject to criminal prosecution if the sex was consensual because the students were of legal age. Carrion was involved with a minor.

Carrion was one of three Garland teachers arrested in 2005 on charges of sexual misconduct with students. Sentencing will be June 7.

** age correction.

Huntington Park, CALIFORNIA

Child Pornography

Apr 20, 2007 - David Stein, 48, a teacher at Pacific Boulevard Special Education Center, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.

The judge ordered Stein to register as a sex offender and to stay away from children. Stein pleaded guilty earlier to downloading numerous images of child porn, included images of bestiality and the rape of a 4-year-old girl.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Yang, the educator downloaded as many as 5,000 images of child porn onto a laptop computer and compact disc.

Little Rock, ARKANSAS

If it's good enough for George Michael.

Apr 20, 2007 - Steven Robinson, 46, a teacher at Fulbright Elementary School in Little Rock. was arrested for public indecency in a public park after Deputies say he pleasured himself in front of a deputy on a park walking trail .

Investigators say he was arrested for the same thing at the same park in 2003.

Ten other men were arrested in the raid at Cadron Settlement Park off Hwy 64. The park continues to be a place where men meet up to have sex.

Lt. Rice says what these men are accused of is exactly why the park is no longer a place where families want to visit.

Monroe, NORTH CAROLINA

Apr 20, 2007 - Francisco Berrio, 30, an international exchange teacher for the past two years from Columbia, is charged with more than 30 felony counts of statutory rape and sexual offense against a 13, 14 or 15 year old, first degree kidnapping and indecent liberties with a minor.

Berrio taught at Forest Hills High.

Charlotte Observer: Berrio is the second Union high school teacher to be accused of having sexual contact with a student in recent weeks. In March, Scott Demo, 36, was charged with one count of felony sex offense and one count of indecent liberties with a student. Demo is a social studies teacher at Weddington High.

WSOC-tv: Authorities say school administration contacted them on Thursday and reported several incidents of sexual contact both on the campus of Forest Hills High School near Marshville and away from the school.

He is scheduled to appear in court in June.

La Mesa, CALIFORNIA

Sentenced to probation. Judge: "A serious error in judgement."

Dec 27, 2006 - Frank Palumbo, 27, assistant band director at Helix Charter High School, was arrested and charged with three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and three counts of oral copulation with a minor.

The 17-year-old victim admitted to having a sexual relationship with Palumbo. Her father learned of it after confronting her and immediately contacted police.

Palumbo resigned Dec 15 to take a job in Sugarland, Texas, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. It was the same day the sexual relationship is alleged to have started.

UPDATE: Dec 28 Palumbo pleads not guilty. Readiness conference is set for Feb 22.

UPDATE: Feb 22, 2007 - Palumbo pleaded guilty to to two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Deputy District Attorney Mark Skeels said in a interview that he made no deals on sentencing.
Sentencing is set for April 20.

UPDATE: Apr 20 - Palumbo was sentenced to to five years probation.

Lexington, KENTUCKY

Originally posted in December 2006 . Updated to include sentencing of four years. Dunn will be a registered sex offender for life.

Dec 5, 2006 - Kenneth Edward Dunn, 51, a Linlee Elementary School physical education teacher, has been arrested and charged with five counts of sexual abuse, including two involving female students.

The sexual abuse involved three victims under the age of 12 and two misdemeanor counts of second-degree sexual abuse involving two other victims under age 14. He has resigned.

UPDATE: (Dec 7) Dunn pleaded not guilty.

UPDATE: (Feb 9, 2007) Dunn has been indicted on five sex-abuse charges.
He was charged by a grand jury with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse involving three victims younger than 12, and misdemeanor abuse involving two victims younger than 14. Two misdemeanor charges involve two students, but school officials have said that the three felony charges are not school-related.

UPDATE Mar 24 - Dunn pleaded guilty to two felony charges of first-degree sexual abuse. Those incidents did not involve students, the Fayette County Board of Education has said. Dunn agreed to the prosecution's four-year sentence recommendation and to be registered as a sex offender for life.

A formal sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 20. Dunn will be eligible for a parole after serving one-fifth of his sentence.

The parents agreed with the plea deal, according to Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Andrea Mattingly Williams.

UPDATE Apr 20 - Dun was sentenced to four years in prison for sexually molesting two young girls. Dunn told Fayette Circuit Judge James Ishmael that he was sorry for what he did and wished he could take it back.
"Whatever I get, it will probably not be enough," Dunn told Ishmael.

Dunn will be required to register as a sex offender for life and will not be able to live within 1,000 feet of public schools, day-care centers or playgrounds.

Kauai, HAWAII

All charges dropped for one teacher and drug court program for Bertolino.

Apr 20, 2007 - Police arrested Alan Bertolino, (right) 43, a science teacher at the school for allegedly growing marijuana at a home shared by another teacher.

Police say they found 50 marijuana plants, processed marijuana, drug paraphernalia and ammunition at the home the two men shared.

The arrests came a week after dozens of officers visited the school to perform a drug-bust simulation.

Hawaii Star-Bulletin: One teacher resigned Monday morning. Police were acting on a tip when they raided the house. There have been four other teachers in the state arrested on drug charges so far this school year. Two custodians were also arrested on drug charges.

From Kauai Garden: The arrests may send a mixed message to the school’s students, as the role models were arrested exactly one week after dozens of officers visited the school to perform a drug-bust simulation.

Vice and traffic unit officers rappelled from helicopters that hovered above the school’s Kilauea campus simulating a theatrical arrest and mock eradication of marijuana plants.

Update May 2 - A third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug charge against Rojeck was retracted and instead he faces a petty misdemeanor charge in connection with the case.

Bertolino, 43, pleaded “not guilty” Monday to charges of second-degree commercial promotion of marijuana, unlawful use or possession with an intent to use drug paraphernalia and third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug, in connection with 50 pot plants, two pipes and ammunition police reported finding at the home.

The school district has permanently replaced both men.

Bertolino is scheduled to appear in court July 30 for his trial.

Dec 18, 2007 - All charges were dropped against the roommate, David Rojeck. According to court documents, Bertolino’s attorney, John Calma, filed a petition for Bertolino’s admission to track two of the drug court program May 22.

Bertolino has since been accepted into the program, which, if completed successfully, will mean all charges in the case filed against him will be cleared from his record.

New Haven, CONNECTICUT

Brings all new meaning to the words "New Haven.".

Apr 18, 2007 - Ben Hunter, Hillhouse High Assistant Principal, was sentenced to six months of home confinement and three years' probation for stealing more than $30,000 in federal funds from a youth basketball program.

Hunter was accused of submitting time sheets and cashing checks for fictitious employees and did not report that income on his tax returns for four years. He pleaded guilty in January to one count of theft of federal funds and one count of subscribing to a false federal income tax return.

TT - If you want to feel the love, you have to read the New Haven Independent. ("It's Your Town. Read All About It.:) Sample: "The judge was swayed by the torrent of testimony in his favor, she spared him prison and instead ordered him to keep on mentoring youth -- on how to be a productive member of society and a felon." and "Born in 1947 to sharecroppers in North Carolina..."

Make sure to follow the link to the Up From Slavery Into Feminism story of the judge in the case who departed from sentencing guidelines because of Hunter’s "extraordinary" record of charitable deeds.

Grand Junction, COLORADO

Apr 19, 2007 - Donald Walker, 48, surrendered to authorities after he was accused of using the Internet to suggest a sexual act with someone he thought was a teenage girl. Walker is the athletic director at Grand Junction High School.

An arrest warrant was issued after an informant posed as a 14-year-old girl on the Internet and kept copies of online messages from Walker in which he discussed sexual acts. The informant gave copies of the messages to a TV station in Grand Junction and the station contacted police about the material.

Full Name: Donald John Walker

GJSentinel found opinions about Walker were mixed at the school. "When asked if any parents or students had ever filed a complaint about Walker’s behavior, Grand Junction High School Principal Kevin Schott said, “I can’t comment on that.”

The newspaper also suggests that the paid leave might be scrutinized. Walker has been on paid leave since April. His annual salary is $70,870. Another teacher - Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary School teacher Tammie Lee Reed was arrested in October 2005 for methamphetamine and marijuana possession.

Following her arrest, Reed was placed on administrative leave and continued to receive a salary of $40,202 plus benefits from the district for more than a year.

Reed was fired Oct. 18, 2006, after accumulating additional charges from another arrest. Her firing was not based on a criminal conviction, but a “neglect of duty” and “immorality,” according to a recommendation for dismissal by District 51 Superintendent Tim Mills. TT entry for Reed.

Apr 20 - Bond was set at $25,000 and Walker has to wear a GPS device. "Police say Walker told detectives during an April 6 interview that he participated in the chats under the two screen names and indicated he sent and received photos but said he thought he was chatting with his ex-girlfriend.
On Monday, however, detectives taped a phone conversation between Walker and his ex-girlfriend, Gretta Pesek, in which Walker told Pesek he knew the person with whom he was chatting was not Pesek, according to the [arrest] affidavit."

Cedarhurst, NEW YORK

Security Guard saw the incident and the girl struggling to get away.

Apr 19, 2007 - Philip Fasso, 34, a Lawrence High School teacher, was arrested on charges that he fondled a 16-year-old girl just after he finished tutoring her after school.

According to police, Fasso, was charged with fondling the girl beneath her clothes as she stood to leave the tutoring session. A school security guard saw the incident and observed the victim struggling to get away and brought her and Fasso to school administrators, police say.

He was charged with third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. He is due to be arraigned Friday.

Tempe, ARIZONA

CASE DISMISSED IN FULL.

Apr 19, 2007 - Judith Wallace, 37, a teacher at D.W. Higgins Institute, a charter school in Tempe, was arrested "on accusations that she had sex with a student, who she treated as a boyfriend, authorities said."

Sheriff’s detectives began investigating the case involving a 15-year-old boy in late January 2006. Deputies learned that Wallace gave the teen alcohol and that she would take him to parties and social gatherings, Chagolla said.The boy told detectives that he had sex with her on separate occasions between February and April 2006.

Detectives say Wallace is the daughter of the charter school's owner.

ALL CHARGES DISMISSED IN FULL.
Jan 15, 2008 - Comments closed.

New York, NEW YORK

Sentenced to 14 years.

Mar 2, 2007 - Lina Sinha, 40, an administrator and a former teacher at Manhattan Montessori, is on trial for having sex with two male students more than a decade ago.

Sinha is charged with second- and third-degree sodomy and third-degree rape for allegedly having sex with a former student—who is now a cop—for four years starting when he was 13 and she was 29. The second boy was 12 and she was 34 when she began having sex with him.

Ms. Sinha’s family runs Montessori schools in Brooklyn and Queens.

CONVICTED: Mar 29 - The trial was a media sensation in New York. Sinha was convicted of sodomizing one of them when he was 13. [Sodomy is unnatural sex. In this case, sex with a 13 year-old-boy.] She also was convicted of sodomizing the student when he was older. Besides the sodomy and witness bribery counts, she was convicted on several counts of criminal impersonation and falsely reporting an incident, all misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail.

Jurors were deadlocked on six rape charges involving a second student. The Assistant District Attorney told the judge that her office intended to retry Sinha on the counts on which the jury could not decide.

The judge ordered Sinha jailed in $3.5 million bond and scheduled sentencing for April 19.

POSTED BOND: Apr 2 - Sinha's parents posted $3.5 million bond. AP reported that the parents gave Judelson 6 percent of the total bail and put up two of the three Montessori schools they own - one in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn - as security, the bondsman said. He said the two schools are worth about $20 million.

SENTENCED: Apr 19 - Sinha was sentenced to 14 years and must serve 4-2/3 years before being eligible for parole. Sinha was convicted on several misdemeanor counts of criminal impersonation and falsely reporting an incident. Berkman sentenced her to a year on each of the misdemeanor counts but said they were to be served concurrently with the felony sentences.

APPEAL: August 23 - Sinha's attorneys filed an appeal.

Queen Creek, ARIZONA

Child Pornography

Apr 19, 2007 - Jeffery Yazwa, 35, Principal of Walker –Butte Elementary School, was arrested on 12 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Dangerous Crimes against Children.

He was arrested after being indicted by a Maricopa County Grand Jury. The investigation began when a civilian provided the FBI with an abandoned desktop computer found to contain sexually explicit images of children. The Investigation revealed that the computer had been abandoned by Yazwa at one of his previous residences.

Before becoming a principal at Walker-Butte Elementary School, Yazwa was employed as the Assistant Principal at Florence High school. Earlier, from July 1995 through August 1999, Yazwa was employed as a 3rd grade teacher at Shumway Elementary School. Yazwa was also employed as a 4th grade teacher from August 1999 through June 2000 and as a 6th grade teacher from August 2000 through July 2002 at Conley Elementary School.

The FBI encourages anyone with information related to this on-going investigation to contact the FBI, Phoenix Division, 602-294-4228.

Full Name: Jeffery R. Yazwa

Fontana, CALIFORNIA

Apr 19, 2007 - ARRESTED. Joseph Pine, 23, a susbstitute was arrested on charges of unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation for involvement with with a 16-year-old student.

Pine was was allegedly involved in a relationship with the girl for four months. "The alleged sex acts were consensual in nature and there may be more victims." [TT - minors can not legally give consent which is why it is a crime.]

Someone contacted the police Wednesday, saying Pine engaged in various sex acts with the teen girl. Anyone with information should contact Detective Mike Senior, (909) 350-7729.

Fontana Police Department website.
Full Name: Joseph Scott Pine

Apr 20 - San Bernardino Sun recalls recent arrests:

Some of the most recent similar cases include the March arrest of San Bernardino's Curtis Middle School vice principal, Michelle Rossi. She faces 12 felony counts of committing lewd and lascivious acts upon a child after a former student told police the two had an "inappropriate" same-sex relationship when the student was 14.

In February, Rialto High School history teacher Matthew Cepican, 31, was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a minor after Fontana police found him with a 16-year-old female student.

In January in Victorville, Del Rey Elementary School teacher Rogelio Alvino Cardenas, 60, was arrested by sheriff's deputies. He is suspected of molesting at least 15 female students.

Fontana police investigators suspect others have been victimized by Pine.

Tampa, FLORIDA

Her lawyer says she has so much to offer kids - the ones she didn't kill.

Apr 18, 2007 - Jennifer Porter, 31, a dance teacher at Muller Elementary School, wants to return to teaching. Porter fled an accident that killed two children - Bryant Wilkins, 13, and his 3-year-old brother Durantae Caldwell -- and injured two others in March 2004.

She pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the March 2004 accident -- a felony -- but avoided jail time through a judge's ruling. The judge sentenced her to two years house arrest. She also was sentenced to three years of probation and 500 hours of community service. Not every one agrees with her.

School Board member April Griffin said Wednesday she remains outraged by what Porter did the night of the accident.

"I don't want somebody who's going to leave the scene of an accident -- where children are lying on the side of the road, dying -- in our school district," Griffin said. "She didn't do anything that someone who was ethical and moral would do."

After the accident, Porter sought refuge in Land O'Lakes, where she lived with her parents. Her father wiped blood off her car, which he then stored in the garage. Nearly 28 hours passed before he contacted Cohen. Four more days passed before Porter came forward publicly.

Mequon, WISCONSIN

Child Pornography

Feb 20, 2007 - Christopher Ernest, 27, a Steffen Middle School teacher, pleaded no contest three counts of possessing child pornography under an agreement to have seven others dropped.

According to the criminal complaint, Mequon and Milwaukee police detectives discovered Ernest had been downloading child pornography onto a Yahoo! group Web site called "Amateur Teen Boyz." Their joint investigation revealed that on Aug. 10, 2005 there were 24 images of what appeared to be juvenile males downloaded to a computer at Ernest’s home.

He will be sentenced in April.
Full Name: Christopher L. Ernest

Apr 18 - Ernest was sentenced to six months in jail on three counts of possessing child pornography. He was also sentenced to five years of probation which was withheld pending successful completion of several conditions. Four other counts were dropped in the plea agreement.

Ernest taught seventh grade at Steffen Middle School for three years until the end of the 2004-'05 school year, when his contract was not renewed and he resigned. District officials said his resignation was unrelated to the charges against him.

Pasadena, CALIFIFORNIA

What to do with those teachers who have to be removed from the classroom.

Apr 18, 2007 - They go to the "Penalty Box," as the Pasadena Weekly (Calif) calls it.

If you are among a number of teachers and coaches who over the past several years have found themselves in situations similar to the one descried above, you are put into the district's version of a penalty box: a place you can continue working for a paycheck while not actually doing the job you're being paid to do, which is to teach.

For these district employees, the penalty box is any PUSD non-teaching facility, such as the district headquarters at Hudson Avenue and Del Mar Boulevard, or the Education Center, located on Woodbury Road and Casitas Street, where work involves not teaching but stuffing envelopes, pushing brooms and making deliveries.

While administrators may not use the term "Penalty Box" they all have an Ed Center, defined any site in the district that does not have classrooms or students where the teacher in trouble can be placed.

While taxpayers pay them full salary.

Fort Worth, TEXAS

Sentenced to 20 years.

Apr 18, 2007 - Jason Wamsley, 32, a teacher at Irma Marsh Middle School , was convicted by a jury of having a sexual relationship with a teenage girl.

He was convicted of three counts of sexual assault of a child under 17; six counts of indecency with a child; and one charge of an improper relationship between an educator and a student.

The girl testified that she had sex with Wamsley from age 14 to 16 -- until her father caught them in bed together. Jurors read notes, poems and cards Wamsley wrote to the teen. Mr. Wamsley was the girl's teacher at Irma Marsh Middle School and at Castleberry High School

Apr 19 - Wamsley was sentenced to 20 years. Jurors sentenced Jason Wamsley to 10 years, and state District Judge Elizabeth Berry added another 10 years.

Wamsley is married and the father of two.

Full Name: Jason Scott Wamsley

Lakewood, COLORADO

Sentenced to two years intensive probation and registration as a sex offender.

Feb 12, 2007 -

Dana Glazier, 49, a Green Mountain Elementary School teacher, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted sexual assault on a child.

He met someone in an Internet chat room who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, according to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. The girl was actually an undercover investigator.

He will be sentenced April 18.

Full name: Dana Craig Glazier

Apr 18 - Glazier was sentenced to two years of intensive supervision probation Wednesday after pleading guilty in an attempted child sex assault case. Glazier must serve 20 days in jail, and will be required to register as a sex offender. He must also undergo sex offender treatment

Norton Shores, MICHIGAN

Found NOT GUILTY OF ALL CHARGES.

Apr 18, 2007 - TRIAL. Peter Morden, 31, a Lincoln Park Elementary School teacher, is on trial, charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 13.

He is accused of inappropriate touching of a 11-year-old girl. Morden is married and the father of three small boys.

The trial started Tuesday.
Full Name: Peter Andrew Morden

Apr 19 - Morden was found NOT GUILTY. The jury returned the verdict in just over an hour.

Henderson, TEXAS

Apr 18, 2007 -ARRESTED. Melanie McGuigan, 34, an Elysian Fields elementary teacher, was arrested after a traffic stop where methamphetamine was found in the car.

She was a passenger in a car when a narcotics dog alerted on the vehicle. Both McGuigan and the driver were charged with possession of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20-years in prison.

She was released Sunday on a $25,000 bond.

Apr 19 - McGuigan resigned. She submitted her resignation Monday morning.

San Antonio, TEXAS

Apr 17, 2007 - ARRESTED. Thomas Kincaid, 60, a substitute teacher in the Northside Independent District, was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats after they said he threatened to shoot several district employees

Kincaid allegedly threatened to shoot employees at the Northside human resources building and employees at the administration building.

Apr 19 - According to the Sheriff's office, Kincaid was dissatisfied with the handling of job concerns by Northside's human resources department, and told an acquaintance Monday that he planned to shoot certain workers there.

The acquaintance called Northside officials, who alerted Bandera deputies, who arrested Kincaid on a warrant as he drove from his home

Spencer, NORTH CAROLINA

Apr 17, 2007 - ARRESTED: David Berrier, 42, a social studies teacher and tennis coach at North Rowan High School, was arrested Friday after he was charged with soliciting a 15-year-old girl for sex.

He was caught in a sting when he went to meet a girl who turned out to be an undercover officer. He was suspended with pay.
Full Name: David Lee Berrier

Tooele, UTAH

Baird sentenced. But not nearly long enough. Registered Sex Offender.




Nov 22, 2006 - Leslie Baird, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in connection with illegal behavior involving a 17-year-old student. The plea agreement dismissed eight other charges that involved two students. She will be sentenced in January.


Apparently, in January, Cameo Patch, a substitute teacher in the district was charged with felony sexual battery involving a Tooele High School student. She pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of sexual battery and is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
UPDATE: Patch got off with probation and a minor fine.

UPDATE: Jan 9 - Scheduled for sentencing, the judge ordered Baird to get therapy for 90 days and then return to court.

Judge Mark Nouris said he had no plans to let her off on probation. "The fact is you're a teacher and when we send children to school you should have the best interest of the student at heart," said Judge Nouris. "But when teachers become predators you undermine that trust."

She should be back in court in April.

UPDATE: Apr 17 - Baird was sentenced to to one year in jail and three years of probation.

She was sentenced today to 1 to 15 years in prison for the second-degree felony of having sex with two teenage students. Judge Mark Kouris said in 3rd District Court that he would stay that sentence, and instead imposed a sentence of 1 year in jail and 36 months probation with a number of attached conditions. KLSC reports that she has to register as a sex offender. She is not allowed to have a cell phone.

Baird will also receive sex-offender treatment. She is married and has children.

Baird is the daughter of Grantsville Mayor Byron Anderson. She will be back in court June 19 for a review.

New York, NEW YORK

Manhattan school regularly takes students to Cuba.

Apr 17, 2007 - A New York City public high school, Beacon School, is under investigation after a teacher took students to Cuba during a spring break.

A city Department of Education spokesman said this year's trip to Cuba was not officially sanctioned by the Beacon School, although the school's Web site featured a call for applications for the trip, as well as details of previous sponsored trips to the island. It was unclear how many students actually went on the trip.

"It is unclear what the education department could do if the teacher, Nate Turner, and the students acted independently, Cantor said."

The principal denies that she approved of the trip. New York Lt. Gov. David Paterson wrote a letter on behalf of Manhattan public high schoolers who traveled to Cuba this month, praising them as "student ambassadors." His spokesman claims he didn't know that the trip may not have been licensed by the federal government.

Paterson's involvement, which stemmed from his stepdaughter's participation in a previous trip to Cuba taken by a group from The Beacon School, was the latest wrinkle to emerge in an ongoing investigation into the trips. City education officials said they expressly denied permission for the April sojourn because of federal restrictions and were trying to figure out the circumstances of at least two previous trips taken by Beacon School students.

Students were required to take a class before the trip. Last year, the students took a trip to Venezuela to show solidarity with its anti-American president, Hugo Chavez. The New York Post is reporting that students, teachers and alumni said at least six excursions to Cuba have been organized, sponsored and financed in part by the school since 2000.

Memphis, TENNESSEE

Apr 17, 2007 - ARRESTED: Ernest Amsler, 50, a history teacher at Memphis University School, was charged with possessing more than half an ounce of cocaine over the weekend.

He was also charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Police found the drugs when they were called in response to an argument involving his former girlfriend, according to the charges

Cincinnati, OHIO

Apr 17, 2007 - ARRESTED: James C. Rauch, 59, University of Cincinnati Criminal Justice Department E-learning Director, for unlawful transaction with a minor and using a computer to solicit sex from a minor.

Rauch was caught in an internet sex sting, along with 10 others. Rauch struck up an online conversation with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. He took pictures of his genitalia with a Webcam and sent them to the "child," then he arranged to meet "her" Thursday at a Highland Heights house, according to police.

The Kentucky Attorney General's office contacted the Internet sex crime-fighting group, Perverted Justice, last year about conducting such operations in the commonwealth. Perverted Justice is a nonprofit perhaps best known for its work with Dateline NBC, for which its members posed as adolescents online to help catch sexual predators.

Rauch had been an elementary school teacher until is retirement in 2000.

Kentucky Attorney General press release on the arrests. link

Griffin, GEORGIA

Apr 17, 2007 - ARRESTED: Police arrested Renwick Pollard, 51, a teacher, who was in charge of in-house suspensions at Flynt Middle School, was arrested for allegedly exposing himself and writing love letters to a student during class. The boy is 15-years-old.

“Right now he’s charged with 2 counts of child molestation and 1 count of enticing a child,” said Officer Bryan Clanton with the Griffin Police. Not only did police say Pollard expose himself, but they say he also wrote love letters to the 8th grader.

Silverton, OREGON

Sentenced to 20 years without parole for molesting 19 boys.

Feb 27, 2007 - Matthew Gould, 45, a teacher at at Pratum School, will, according to the Statesman Journal, enter a guilty plea at his court appearance on April 16 to sexually abusing three boys during a three-year period.

Gould was arrested on Mar 16, 2006 and has remained in jail without bail. He resigned in May. In August, he pleaded not guilty.
Full Name: Matthew Todd Gould

Update Apr 17 - Gould was sentenced to 20 years -- without parole -- for 14 counts of first-degree sex abuse.

Gould admitted to having abused more than 19 boys over the years; staging games of naked dodge ball where he was the only adult present; having shown numerous boys how to masturbate; and holding naked hot tub parties for minors. The boys were under age 14.

Gould is ineligible for parole and will serve an additional 45 months of post prison supervision when released.

Jackson, MISSISSIPPI

Apr 16, 2007 - A re-trial date has been set for Elicia Hughes for killing her husband. She was found guilty of killing her husband in a jury trial. However, a circuit judge overturned the conviction.

New trial date will be Nov 5.
TT link to Hughes.

Long Island, NEW YORK

I'ts not just teachers.

Apr 16, 2007 - The Roslyn Board of Education appointed a new Superintendent of Schools to replace Frank Tassone.

Mr. Tassone was sentenced last year to four-to-twelve years in prison for stealing a reported $2,208,361. T

The district’s Assistant Superintendent Pamela Gluckin was sentenced to three-to-nine years in prison for stealing a reported $4,358,743. Ms. Gluckin’s son and niece also pled guilty to taking part in the scam.

The niece, former district account clerk Debra Rigano, was sentenced to two-to-six years in prison for stealing $852,231.

The son, John McCormick, was sentenced to five years of probation and 100 hours of community service for accepting money stolen from the district from his mother.

Frank Tassone’s domestic partner, Stephen Signorelli, was sentenced to one-to-three years in prison. His company, WordPower, sold handbooks to the district, and he reportedly padded invoices to bilk the district out of $219,000.

Andrew Miller, a former partner at the accounting firm Miller, Lilly & Pearce, LLP, and the Roslyn School District’s auditor, pleaded guilty to Tampering with Public Records in the First Degree for his role in attempting to help the perpetrators cover up their actions. He was sentenced to four months in jail and five years of probation, a ruling that then-District Attorney Denis Dillon derided as too lenient. DA Dillon had wanted Mr. Miller to serve two-to-six years in prison.

TT - blogger Tony Iovino, who runs A Red Mind in a Blue State blog, followed the case. He links to coverups at the Board. In 2004, the Board of Education admitted that in 2002, it discovered - but hadn't reported - that its then-assistant superintendent for business and finance had misappropriated money. Instead, the board allowed Pamela Gluckin, 58, to quietly retire after she surrendered her administrator's license and repaid the money, believed at that time to be about $250,000.

TENNESSEE

Do people actually elect people like these? Or do teacher unions?

The Rutherford County School Board members still don't believe that the school system needs a new policy that would require county school workers to report their arrests to administration officials.

The discussion comes after two teachers were arrested by police within a month of each other — one on marijuana possession charges, the other for allegedly shooting at an Eagleville councilman.

"They probably should notify the school," said School Board Chairman Rick Wise. "But to have a policy that requires that, I think you ought to be careful."

Wise said the seven-member board doesn't want to infringe on teachers' rights

TT - the rights of parents to be assured that their children aren't taught by druggies, drunks, and social misfits doesn't count? This is typical of school boards who are more concerned about teachers than students. A good clue that students and parents aren't first concerns is the generous benefits for teachers. It's a shopping list that might have been drawn up by the union.

Minneapolis, MINNESOTA

Apr 14, 2007 - Charges have been re-refiled against Francisco Gaytan, 52, a Folwell Middle School teacher. He was charged in November with accused of exposing himself to a 12-year-old student at the school. Those charges were dropped.

After further investigation two students who were in Gayton's class told investigators they had seen Gaytan fondle two female students in the fall of 2006. An new criminal complaint included the previous charge as well. He faces two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree.

His next court date is Apr 25.

Galveston, TEXAS

Child Pornography
- Fourth case in two days.

News story dated Apr 14, 2007 - Thien Vo, 35, a substitute teacher at Weis Middle School, was removed from the school. He was arrested and charges of possession of child pornography are pending his indictment, according to the Galveston County District Attorney's office.

From The Daily News: The discovery came while the technicians were looking into reports of school computers running slowly, according to the affidavit for Vo’s arrest.

After visiting the classroom where the illicit use was occurring, police learned someone logged in on the same account was trying to delete its Internet history.

However, police said they retrieved more than 100 images of boys “ranging from infant to teenagers,” the affidavit stated.

Vo has been a substitute for 4 years. He is in jail on a $125,000 bond.

Washington, DC

Acquitted of all charges.

Jan 4, 2007 - Ricardo Roberts, 41, social studies teacher and basketball coach at J.H. Johnson Junior High School, was arrested and charged with first-degree child sex abuse. The charges are in connection with having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

The alleged relationship came to light last month after a witness working in the school after hours Dec. 4 reported seeing the girl emerge from a room where Roberts had been seen changing his clothes a short time earlier, according to the charging papers.

He has been suspended. He is being held without bond. His pregnant wife was in the courtroom when he was charged.

Washington Post calls him an "educator."

Update Apr 13 : A poster says that he was found NOT GUILTY. Looking for a link to confirm.

Update Apr 13 - Roberts was acquitted of having sex with a 13-year-old student. He was held without bail since January. Since that time, his wife gave birth to a son - now 2 months old.

Cleveland, OHIO

NBC's WKYC: " Love was her defense."
For sex with a 12-year old? Makes you want to head slap the reporter. (Or take away her Harlequin Romance novels.)

News story date April 11, 2007 - A grade school principal at Case Elementary School who was convicted and served nearly 12 years in prison for having sex with a 12-year-old boy will be paroled next month. But it won't be the end of it.

A judge has ruled that Dr. Nancy Marks will be labeled a sexual predator.

Investigators said Marks paid several people thousands of dollars to keep quiet about the relationship, including the 12-year-old victim's mother, Robbie Robinson, who is now serving at least 43 years for extortion.

Prosecutors said Marks' pattern of abuse, power, lust and secrecy makes her a sexual predator and in the end, the judge agreed.

As a sexual predator, Marks will be required to register her address every 90 days with the sheriff's department for the rest of her life.

From NBC's Wkyc: [Bolding ours.]

Nancy Marks will now be released from prison. With no residence and no loved ones to take her in, she'll have to stay at a halfway house. From there, she says she hopes to start her life over and hopefully start over her relationship with her former student.

"I feel love for him." Along with her enduring love, Mark's sentence will last the rest of her life. The state will require the former principal to register as a sexual predator, checking in with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Dpartment every 90 days.

TT - Is this movie-of-the-week reporting or what? Marks had sex with the boy and two of his underage friends. She also supplied weapons to the boys and drugs.. Marks is 63-years-old. The boy is now 25 and in jail on drug charges.

Van Meter, IOWA

Sentenced to 10 years on one charge, 2 on another. To run consecutively. He was an outrage of the month.

Dec 8, 2006 - Phillip Padilla, 39, a Van Meter teacher and coach, is scheduled to appear in court, charged with sexually assaulting a female student. He was arrested and arraigned in October on charges stemming from a relationship with a 14-year-old student."

According to court documents, Padilla admitted that he had at least five incidents involving the victim from the spring of 2006 to the fall of 2006. Padilla also admitted that he was fully aware of the victim's age at the time of the relationship." He pleaded not guilty, though.

Parents were incensed with the School Board for not acting on their earlier complaints.

Padilla had first drawn the attention of concerned parents last summer when he was arrested for charges of driving while intoxicated. [TT- turns out he was 3.5 times over the limit.] At about the same time rumors began circulating about charges that had been brought against Padilla at a previous district where he had taught in Bethany, Mo.

In a Sept. 6 article printed in the Bethany Republican-Clipper, the current charges against Padilla were described as "hauntingly similar" to charges filed against him in that district. Padilla was acquitted of the Bethany charges but his contract with the district was not renewed.

In Missouri, Padilla was tried in 1992 and in 1993 on two separate charges of misdemeanor sexual abuse for molesting two under-age female students.

His supporters in Bethany, MO were vocal and "the article described threats, harassment, destruction of property and intimidation by people supporting Padilla. Black arm bands were worn by supporters who attended court proceedings." [Sounds more like union than baseball team members.]

His contract wasn't renewed. As a result, Padilla sued the district in federal court for violation of his civil rights and at one point appeared on the Geraldo Rivera talk show with his attorney. How he was ever hired in Iowa remains unclear. Especially in light of testimony during his trials. [In fact, his testimony during the trials became the basis of his eventual firing.]

TT -Oddly, Padilla offered his resignation to the Van Meter, Iowa school board after the drunk driving charges last year, but it was rejected by a majority of the board members who allowed him to resign as coach of the girl's softball team, but -- get this -- he was allowed to continue as coach for the boy's basketball team and continued in his position as social studies teacher for the district.

Voters retaliated by voting out two school board members.

Update Feb 2, 2007 - Iowa Board of Examiners have permanently revoked Padillas' teaching license. [That's now two states where he can't teach.]

Update Feb 2 - A reader alerted us a link to an update that Padilla may be entering a plea deal.

Update Feb 23 - Padilla pleaded guilty to to sexually abusing a student. "Padilla's conviction comes more than a decade after he was acquitted of sexual assault in 1994, when he was accused of having sex with a 15-year-old female student in Bethany, Missouri, where he was a teacher and coach."

Specifically, he pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual abuse, a class C felony, and sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Sentencing is set for April 13.

Link to U.S. Court of Appeals decision to reverse a decision on his case against the school district for firing him. A jury found that Padilla's First Amendment Rights were violated when the district fired him because of statements he made testifying in a criminal trial. The jury had also awarded him $385,000, court costs and attorneys fees. Pdf The U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit disagreed and reversed the judgement.

KCCI Channel 8, Des Moines on the plea deal.

The student and her family watched from inside the courtroom as Padilla told a judge in his own words what he did beginning at the end of the last school year.

"While teaching in Dallas County, I did commit sexual acts, mutual sex acts with a student, (who was) under the age of 15," Padilla said.

Padilla faces 10 years on one charge, two on the other, and he will be on parole for the rest of his life. He also must register as a sex offender.

Padilla will remain in jail until his sentencing in April.

Update Apr 13 - Padilla was sentenced to 10 years for the sexual abuse charge and two years for the sexual exploitation charge. The sentences are consecutive. He will serve the 10 years, then two more years.

Padilla's apology was still self-serving to the end.

"The one thing is that I am truly sorry. Even though this is a mutual relationship, I take full responsibility for my actions. This was the outcome of poor judgment and poor decision making," Padilla said.

TT - Part of the plea agreement was parole for the rest of his life and he will have to register as a sex offender, although the news story does not say whether the judge imposed it.

Hartford, MICHIGAN

Apr 13, 2007 - Hartley Collins Jr., 31, an eighth-grade teacher at Hartford Middle School, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years of probation after he pleaded no contest to third-degree child abuse.

He was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct over allegations involving a student between the ages of 16 and 17.

Collins, who was fired by Hartford Public Schools, will have to surrender his teaching certificate but won't have to register with the state as a sex offender.
Full Name: Hartley Wayne Collins Jr

Princeton, NEW JERSEY

Cybersex with children. Sickening. Parole for life, registration as a sex offender.

SENTENCED Apr 13, 2007 - Kathleen Bowler, 29, a long-term substitute teacher at Witherspoon Middle School, was sentenced to four-year suspended sentence for having cybersex with students.

Bowler, now living in Rhode Island, apologized. "I made a big mistake," she said. "I'm sorry."

The parents of two victims, a boy and a girl, then 13, wrote strongly worded letters to Judge Thomas Kelly, blaming the school district for what happened to their children.

Bowler had pleaded guilty in December to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, for her actions during between February and June of 2005. She also served as the boys' wrestling coach at the school. Bowler, who taught "modern living," a class akin to home economics, worked as a long term substitute teacher in the 2004-2005 school year.

Update Apr 14 - In addition to the suspended sentence, Bowler will be required to register her address as a sex offender under Megan's Law and also is subject to parole for life. Kelly required Bowler to get psychiatric counseling specifically for sex offenders as was recommended in a psychological evaluation.

The judge warned her that if she did not follow the requirements, she would be in violation of her parole and sent to jail.

"You were in a position of trust with young people," Kelly said. "You were a surrogate parent, in a sense, while these children were in your custody. Children are vulnerable. They look up to teachers. They trust them."

July 19 - The parents of one student are suing the school district and Bowler alleging that district officials failed to act for 81 days after they were notified about the teacher's behavior. Bowler now lives in Rhode Island.

Encinitas, CALIFORNIA

Pervert used a job as a teacher's aide to gain access to young boys.

SENTENCED Apr 12, 2007 - Nicholas Shur, 20, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for molesting three young children.

He pleaded guilty molesting three boys ages 10 and under. Prosecutors said Shur used a job as a YMCA counselor and a teacher’s aide to gain access to young boys.

Apr 13 - North County Coastal Times: Shur was also a camp counselor. His youngest victim was 6 years old. The other two boys were ages 9 and 7. He also admitted to substantial sexual conduct with the 6 year old.

One of the boys was molested by Shur when he was an aide at a school in the Solana Beach School District.

Since Shur's conviction is for violent felonies, state law requires that he serve at least 85 percent of his sentence -- 8 1/2 years -- before he is eligible for parole. Shur must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Bossier Parish, LOUISIANA

News story dated Apr 12, 2007 - Stephanie Simmons, 35, a 7th grade teacher at Elm Grove Middle School , was arrested on charges she smoked marijuana with teenagers and bought alcohol for them.

She was booked on eight counts of unlawful purchase of alcoholic beverages on behalf of people under the age of 21 and six counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

An investigation by the school system's director of security found that Simmons smoked marijuana with 15- and 16-year-olds last summer. She also on several occasions bought alcohol for 14- to 17-year-olds, according to Bossier Sheriff Larry Deen

Simmons had been placed on leave from Elm Grove in March after the allegations first surfaced.

Update (Apr 17) - Simmons has lost custody of her two children. jA udge granted her ex-husband custody of their two children. Garland Cavanaugh III had filed the petition in March, citing his concern for the safety and well-being of the 8-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl.

There was also a 2005 arrest for child desertion. Bossier City police arrested her for leaving the two children in a hot car at Pierre Bossier Mall. When police arrived, the girl was crying and her face was bright red from the heat. The boy's face was sweating, according to reports. The case was not pursued. Bossier City police confirmed Monday they responded to that Simmon's home 17 times within the past year, but not for underage drinking or drugs.

School officials were unaware of the 2005 arrest.

Newark, NEW JERSEY

News date Apr 10, 2007 - Tracy Booth, 31, an English teacher at Newark Boys Chorus School has been arrested on charges that she had a sexual relationship with one of her 13-year-old students.

The case developed following an anonymous call March 1 to the state Division of Youth and Family Services. Newark police then got a statement from the boy and contacted the prosecutor's office, she said.

Booth has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of child endangerment relating to the hotel encounter. She could face similar charges regarding the two encounters at her home