Charles L. Barton III, 62, a retired teacher who taught at the Groveland Elementary School, in Groveland, Florida for 32 years has pleaded guilty to molesting five girls.

All five victims were known to Barton from the school where he taught second and fourth-grade. Barton retired from the school in 2002.

All of the girls, who were preteens at the time of the alleged offenses, claimed to have been molested at Barton’s home, where some had spent the night baby-sitting his grandchildren or attending pool parties.

Barton and his wife were released from their posts with a Girl Scouts troop in 2004, however the organization said it was not for any impropriety with children. In addition to their work with Girl Scouts, Barton and his wife organized and supervised Friday night dances for teens in Groveland in 2002 and 2003.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Barton must serve four years of house arrest to be followed by 15 years of sex-offender probation, he will be required to keep a log of his travels, adhere to a curfew and comply with other court orders. Any violation of the terms of his agreement may result in Barton’s being imprisoned for up to 15 years.

Barton must register as a sex offender.

Reference:

Ex-teacher guilty of molestation (8/31/07)

Sherry Turner, 37, a former teacher at Christoval Elementary School, in Christoval, Texas, who was also an athletic trainer for the district’s middle and high school, has entered into a plea deal on one count of having an improper relationship with a 17-year-old male student.

Under the terms of the plea deal, Turner agreed to seven years of deferred adjudication, was fined $2,500 and gave up her teaching certificate.

Turner was suspended from her duties in January and charged in March of this year with a single count of improper relationship between an educator and a student on allegations that Turner and a student engaged in kissing and sexual touching in the student’s car at a San Angelo park in October 2006.

Had Turner gone to trial on the count and was found guilty she would have been subject to a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $10,000.

Under a deferred adjudication the defendant enters a guilty plea, the judge postpones a finding of guilt, places the defendant on a probationary term and if the defendant completes the term without further offense the original case will be dismissed.

References:

Former Christoval elementary teacher surrenders certificate (8/30/07)

Christoval ex-coach gives up teaching with teen-sex plea (8/30/07)

Background:

Teacher placed on suspension (1/12/07)

Philip Gregory Speers, 35, a former second grade teacher at St. Francis of Assisi School in Yuma, Arizona convicted of two counts of molestation of a child in a retrial early this month has been sentenced.

Speers was sentenced to 17 years in prison on each count, with the sentences by law required to run consecutive for a total of 34 years in prison.

Following the sentencing, Speers mother Charlotte said, “Yuma County taxpayers need to know this is not how this case will end. The prosecution cannot win the case against Greg in a fair trial. There are so many reversible errors, it will once again be overturned by the higher courts. Every time we go back to trial, more of the truth is revealed and more counts are dropped. In the end, Greg will be found totally innocent and will be a free man. We aren’t ever going to give up on this, no matter how long it takes”.

Speers was credited with the 2,553 days previously served, dating back to his original conviction, which was over-turned on appeal.

Speers is awaiting a retrial for the 2002 conviction on two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for having child pornography on his computer. That conviction was also over-turned. He was originally sentenced to 34 years total on those counts.

Reference:

Ex-teacher Speers sentenced to 34 years (8/30/07)

View All Bad Bad Teacher Coverage of the Cases Of Philip Gregory Speers