Summary - July 18, 2007Follow links for updated information.
NOT GUILTY VERDICT
A jury took just two hours to find Julia Lund not guilty of sex charges involving a 17-year-old male student. She's only the second "not guilty" verdict in the last eight months.
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TRIAL
We bumped this story for most of the day because it brought so much pain and then fury. A Midlands, Texas teacher is on trial charged with four felonies, for sex with a 14-year-old girl. He is alleged to have bought her a necklace, held hands with her during field trips to see a movie, and then had sex with her on the floor of the portable classroom. She liked the music from "Winnie, the Poo" so he bought her a CD. Maybe it was having kids that age with goofy smiles and determined happiness, and unflagging faith in adults that made it so poignant, but her testimony is heart-rendering.
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ARRESTED - Old dude teacher stalking student
A Rockport, Maine teacher was arrested and charged with stalking, violation of a protective order and violating conditions of release after he allegedly tried to text-message a traveling companion of the young woman. The 17-year-old girl has a court-ordered protection from abuse order against former teacher Brian Roberts, 41. We dont' know why he's a former teacher and the newspapers aren't asking.
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ARRESTED
Details are sketchy, but Jeffrey Biglin, 24, a Connetquot High School substitute teacher and coach, was arrested and charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of the student for sending sexually explicit text messaging to a female student and arranging middle-of-the-night meetings outside the girl's home. The Newsday headline that he was accused of stalking appears to be wrong.
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ARRESTED - Voyeurism
Just when you think that you've heard it all -- and voyeurism and teachers isn't all that uncommon -- there's another twist. No toilet camera, but the teacher reportedly had a camera attached to his shoe with a wire running up his pants leg to a recorder in his pocket. The better to take pictures up the skirts of little girls in an amusement park. Luckily, the father of an 8-year-old chased down Christopher Lucero, 24. The sixth-grade teacher was arrested. (New Mexico)
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NOT GUILTY PLEA
In Illinois, Ronald L. Watson Jr., 26, was indicted on criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse for incidents with a 17-year-old female student. He pleaded not guilty.
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GUILTY PLEA
In Indianapolis, Kevin Walsh, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of child solicitation and one count of disseminating matter harmful to a minor for trying to solicit sex from what he thought was a 15-year-old girl. The Internet can be so brutal. It was a good thing it was a police officer.
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SENTENCED
It was the third conviction for drunk driving for a Maryland teacher. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail, with 60 days suspended. Conveniently for him, he was convicted in August 2006, but he was allowed to teach the full school year and report to jail after school let out. Shameful example for students and a disservice to parents who might actually want to discourage drunk driving.
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MRS SOCIOPATH SENTENCED
Really, when a 26-year-old teacher runs away to Mexico with a 14-year-old boy and takes her 3-year-old child with her, pleads guilty, and then claims two days before her sentencing that the boy held her at gunpoint, it's pretty sure she's not quite right in the conscience department. Angela Comer, made a beeline to the AP reporter after her plea agreement as well. She'll have time to refine her interview technique in prison after being sentenced to 10 years. Only thing we can't figure out is why she wasn't required to register as a sex offender for life. (Kentucky)
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FAKE COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT SCANDAL
Lots of people, including three New York City public school teachers have been indicted on charges that they took part in a scheme involving fraudulent transcripts. The teachers paid $3,000 each for transcripts that showed they had master's degrees without ever having to attend the college. Two of the teachers are tenured. It's something you read about in India or Bangladesh or some third-world country. Oh, wait, it's NYC. Nevermind.
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