(5/31/07 - Initial BBT Report)
Joseph Arne Tucker, 28, a music teacher at Como Park Senior High School, in St. Paul, MN has been charged with with third- and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for an ongoing affair with a 17-year-old female student.
Tucker came to the attention of authorities when two students told an assistant principal that their friend was having an affair with the band teacher. One of the girls said she saw Tucker and the student kissing at school.
Allegedly the two girls and another friend attempted an “intervention” with Tucker and the girl in May, confronting their pair about their relationship.
After the girls went to the assistant principal, the alleged victim was interviewed by school officials who learned some of the alleged details of the relationship from the girls cell phone.
The assistant principal asked to look at the girl’s cell phone and found more than 20 text messages from Tucker and photographs of the two of them. In the girl’s purse was a letter from Tucker “in which he describes performing very specific sex acts on her,” the complaint said.
The school’s principal escorted Tucker from the school and put him on administrative leave.
Police arranged for the girl to be seen at the Midwest Children’s Resource Center for a sexual-abuse consultation. The girl reported during an interview the relationship became intimate in November or December, the complaint said.
The pair became close as they worked on the school play, “Cinderella,” together, the complaint said. Tucker first kissed her around that time, the complaint said.
On several occasions they went to his St. Paul house and had oral sex, the complaint said. She said they never had intercourse and Tucker hadn’t forced or coerced her, the complaint said. Tucker is married and has young children.
During an interview with police investigators, Tucker allegedly admitted the affair.
8/03/07 - Guilty Plea
Joseph Arne Tucker has pleaded guilty to a single count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for an affair with a 17-year-old female student.
Tucker who is married and has young children will be sentenced in September and faces up to 90 days in jail.
Update 8/14/07:
Joseph Arne Tucker has been arrested and jailed after the victim’s father on Sunday night called police and reported that he had caught Tucker in his daughter’s bedroom.
Tucker was specifically ordered by the judge to stay away from the victim. Tucker’s violation of that order has resulted in prosecutors asking that he remain jailed until sentencing and indications are that Tucker’s plea agreement and maximum 90 day jail sentence may be re-evaluated by prosecutors, who also may file additional charges over the violation of the court order.
In statement to police, Tucker allegedly admitted using a ladder to climb to the girl’s second story bedroom window. Police say it is not believed that there was any sexual activity between the two during Tucker’s visit to her room Sunday night but they are still investigating. The DA’s office says that Tucker should be held without bond or other conditions of release because he is a continuing threat to the girl’s safety.
Update 8/15/07:
In spite of a prosecutor’s request that Tucker be held in jail without bail until his sentencing September 14th, Ramsey County District Court Judge Edward Wilson set bail at $10,000. At last report Tucker was still in the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center.
10/27/07 - Sentencing
At his sentencing Joseph Arne Tucker told the judge, “Your honor, I know that what I did was wrong. I destroyed a community that I love very much, and I betrayed a great trust that I worked very hard to establish. I hurt a lot of people. I never intended to hurt anybody. I just want to start making it right, your honor. I’m so sorry.“.
Ramsey County District Judge M. Michael Monahan sentenced the sobbing Tucker to 18 months in prison. The judge then stayed the sentence and ordered Tucker to serve 3 months in the workhouse.
Among other conditions imposed upon Tucker are that he register as a sex offender and have no contact with the 17-year-old girl, at least until she is an adult.
The judge told Tucker, “Your actions not only had an impact on the complaining witness in this case but had a broader impact on your other students and on the school itself. There’s nothing like having a teacher appear on the front page of the newspaper to undermine the public’s general confidence in the members of your former profession and the system they work in.”
Tucker who was married with two children, ages 1 and 3, pleaded guilty on August 3rd and was under a no-contact order to remain away from the girl while free pending sentencing. Nine days after his guilty plea Tucker used a ladder to get to the girl’s bedroom where the two were discovered by her father. Tucker has been jailed since that time.
After sentencing Tucker, the judge asked him, “We don’t need to go over, do we, what a no-contact order means?” To which Tucker replied, “No, your honor“.
The judge went on to say, “That has become clear, has it? So, no Christmas cards, no Valentines, no flowers, no texting, no e-mails, no driving around the neighborhood.”
References:
St. Paul / Educator sentenced in student sex case (10/27/07)
Ex-St. Paul teacher is off to workhouse for sex with teen (10/26/07)
Judge sets 10G bail for teacher picked up again in sex case (8/15/07)
Teacher, Guilty Of Sex With Teen, Meets With Teen
Former teacher back in jail for reuniting with student (8/14/07)
If judge says avoid student you abused, she means it (8/13/07)
St. Paul Como Park High School Teacher had sexual contact with student (8/03/07)
St. Paul teacher and student had ‘intimate’ relationship, charges allege
St. Paul high school teacher charged with having sex with a student
