(11/29/07 – Initial BBT Report)

Ricky Ray James, 50, a former Junior ROTC teacher at Bryan High School in Bryan, Texas has been convicted in a jury trail on charges of second-degree felony sexual assault of a child charge for having a sexual relationship with an underage student.

James came to the attention of authorities in January when the victim told College Station Police detectives that she and James began having a sexual relationship in February 2006 when she was 15-years-old and that the relationship lasted for nine months.

James is a retired Air Force veteran with no prior criminal history who now faces up to 20 years in prison. Jurors will return to the Brazos County Courthouse Friday morning to determine his sentence.

James defense contended that the teen was persuaded by an an over-protective and suspicious mother to lie about a relationship. One defense witness, teacher Eve Wallace said the teen was close to her and had confided that her mother put her up to filing false charges.

The girl who had testified previously denied having had a conversation with Wallace in that regard. The girl’s mother also testified that with six daughters, she has reason to be protective. The mother also testified that she did not encourage anyone to lie and she has no interest in ruining an innocent person’s life and that she had told James to cease giving her daughter rides.

References:

Ex-teacher guilty of having sex with student (11/29/07)

Deliberations expected to start soon (11/29/07)

ROTC official’s trial begins (11/28/07)

(11/29/07 – Initial BBT Report)

Scott S. Lempa, 33, a math teacher and volleyball coach at Mundelein High School in Mundelein, Illinois has pleaded guilty in a case in which he was alleged to have convinced a 17-year-old student to send naked images of herself to him.

Lempa entered into a negotiated plea with prosecutors to a reduced charge and was sentenced to 30 months of probation with the sex offender unit, the forfeiture of his teaching license and registeration for life as a sex offender. In addition Lempa was fined $1,000, ordered to perform 100 hours of public service, have no contact with the victim, provide a DNA sample for the national registry and is restricted to using the Internet only for employment.

Lempa came to the attention of authorities when his wife discovered suspicious text messages on their cell phone and home computer and took the equipment to the Mundelein Police Department. When police examined the equipment they found in addition to text messages images of the girl’s bare breasts and buttocks.

Reference:

Teacher gets probation in child-porn case (11/29/07)

Background:

Math Teacher In Mundelein Charged With Child Porn (2/27/07)

Mundelein High School Teacher Accused Of Child Porn (2/27/07)

(7/07/07 – Initial BBT Report)

Frank Laine Hall, 36, of Riverton, Utah, and a former first-grade teacher at Rosamond Elementary School facing 16 counts of sex abuse of a child has been freed on $500,000 bond. This after failing previously to get his bond amount reduced.

Hall was arrested on March 15 on allegations that he inappropriately touched some of the students in his class.

An investigation was started after one student told their parents of seeing other students touched inappropriately by Hall and over the course of that investigation additional alleged victims have either come forward or been discovered bring the total number of alleged victims to eleven, ten girls and one boy.

All of the alleged victims are six or seven-years old and were students in Hall’s class at Rosamond Elementary. All of the charges allege crimes committed at the school between July 2005 and March 2007 with all but one alleged to have been committed since July 2006.

Hall was honored with a Huntsman Award for Excellence in Education in 2006, receiving a $10,000 check accompanying the award as one of the best teachers in Utah.

9/20/07 – Plea Deal

Frank Laine Hall today pleaded guilty to reduced charges of 10 counts of attempted aggravated sex abuse of a child and second-degree felony sex abuse of a child. In exchange for his guilty pleas, five other counts of aggravated sex abuse of a child were dismissed.

Sentencing is set for November 14th and Hall has been ordered to contact pre-trial services for supervision while awaiting sentencing, to have no contact with minors, not to travel outside of Utah and to have a psycho-sexual evaluation completed.

11/29/07 – Sentencing

Frank Laine Hall has been sentenced to 15-years-to-life in prison.

Hall received a sentence of three-years-to-life for each of 10 counts of first-degree felony attempted aggravated sex abuse of a child and one-to-15 years in prison for one count of second-degree felony sex abuse of a child. The prison terms for the first five counts run consecutively and the others will be concurrent.

In addition the judge recommended to the Board of Pardons that Hall receive a mental health evaluation and sex abuse treatment, have no contact with victims or their family members or any minors and register as a sex offender.

References:

Teacher convicted of molesting young students sentenced to prison (11/29/07)

Hall pleads guilty; former Huntsman Award winner strikes plea deal (9/20/07)

Teacher released on bail in Riverton abuse case (7/06/07)

Teacher Accused of Sex Abuse Posts Bail (7/06/07)

Background:

Teacher is charged with sex abuse of girls (3/16/07)

More victims come forward in Utah student abuse case (3/24/07)

Alleged victims total 11 in Riverton abuse case (4/13/07)

Prosecutors Building Their Case Against Teacher Accused of Sexual Abuse (4/13/07)

Frank Laine Hall’s Personal Web Site