Autumn Leathers
Posted by Webmaster in English Teachers, FE-MV, Hall of Shame, High Schools, Maryland
(08/21/08 – Initial BBT Report)
Autumn Lee Leathers, 24, an English teacher at Mountain Ridge High School in Frostburg, Maryland has been arrested on allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a male student.
Leathers faces multiple charges, including second-degree custodial child abuse, fourth-degree sex offense, perverted practice and second-degree assault on allegations that she and the now 16-year-old boy had a sexual relationship beginning in May of this year and continuing through the summer.
The alleged victim was 15-years-old when the alleged sexual relationship started.
Leathers came to the attention of authorities when a neighbor of Leathers called after allegedly noticing the student at Leathers’ home several times in the late evening.
Allegedly the boy told police that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with her in May when he was age 15. He also told investigators that he had ongoing sexual relations with Leathers over the last three months at her Frostburg residence.
Following her arrest Leathers was being initially held in the Allegany County Detention Center in lieu of $25,000 bond.
Reportedly Leathers has been placed on administrative leave by the school district.
08/26/08 – Release on Bond, Preliminary Hearing Set
Autumn Lee Leathers has been freed on $25,000 bond.
She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 19th.
Leathers remains on administrative leave without pay pending action by the school board.
09/18/08 – Leathers Indicted By Grand Jury
Autumn Leathers was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday but the state’s attorney instead decided to take the case to the grand jury.
The Allegany County grand jury indicted Leathers on charges of sex abuse of a minor, custodial child abuse and sex offenses and a criminal summons was given to Leather’s attorney.
Leathers will be required to appear in court for an initial hearing but a court date has not been set.
Leathers remains free on bond.
10/07/08 – Court Appearance
Autumn Leathers appeared in court for her initial arraignment.
Leathers next court appearance is set for December 23 for a motions hearing.
Leathers remains free on $25,000 bond.
01/27/09 – Guilty Plea
Today, in a court hearing in Cumberland, Maryland, Autumn Leathers pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree sex offense.
As part of the plea deal with prosecutors, all other charges were reportedly dropped.
No sentencing date was set at today’s hearing, however Leather faces a maximum of one year in jail, a $1,000 fine and a requirement to register a sex offender.
04/02/09 – Sentencing
Autumn Leathers was sentenced today in Allegany County Circuit Court to a suspended one-year jail term.
Leathers was also ordered to register as a sex offender.
Leathers was also order to serve to five years of unsupervised probation with no contact with the victim, at least until he becomes 18 years old, and she must obey all laws.
References:
Former Mountain Ridge teacher must register as sex offender (04/02/09)
Teacher Admits Sex Offense With Student (01/27/09)
Allegany County teachers in court, to return in December (10/07/08)
Teacher formerly of Springdale indicted for having sex with student (09/18/08)
Teacher charged with sex offense posts bond (08/26/08)
Mountain Ridge teacher charged for alleged sexual relations with student (08/21/08)
Frostburg teacher accused of sex with student (08/21/08)
Teacher Arrested, Accused Of Having Sex With Student (08/21/08)
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I don’t thin so, Sarah. First it’s not pedophilia (pre-pubescents).
I really think many women are trapped in a false romantic fantasy and tend to persue it in any man they met (or young man, in this case). This sort of women use to engage in bad relations over the years with wrong men. Young men are more easy to control than adults. The don’t manage adult relations, an adult relation usually don’t fit in her fantasy. Almost every single female teacher who engage in sex with students tend to call it “love”, even when the student is 13 y.o.
David, I don’t agree. In many cases, these offenders have had sex with more than one minor, sometimes that minor is not even a student of theirs. I really do believe that these women are simply pedophiles and have no right to teach.
The temptation for young women teachers in their sexual prime in a professional environment (primary and secondary education), where there are very few eligible contemporary men for them to meet, presents the very real possibility for illicit relationships with their teenage students. The human sex drive is so strong that if it does not have a proper outlet, it will find an improper one. God save these young women and protect the students from this.
David Shoup
Kabul, Afghanistan
Lisa, that is such utter garbage. I was molested at 10 years of age. I was filled with rage and I was hypervigilant to watch out for my children, and did not trust, but thanks to God those are mostly gone. But at no time did I ever even conceive of doing to another what was done to me, because I hated it so badly.
Autumn mede her choices, she is responsible for her own actions, don’t blame it on something happening to her in the past. IT WAS HER CHOICE!!
Crap!
I grew up with Autumn. I knew her family and I can’t believe this is true. I was looking on the sex offender website for any in our area and she is registered in her home town. I am shocked. She lived across the street from me with her family and they were a really good family. I just can’t imagine it. I know her family’s values and morals and it just doesn’t fit the picture. If something happened with this boy then something tragic had to have happened to her when she was little that we never knew about. I just truely can’t imagine it.
It is bad enough that this judge gives this women no jail time.But then after requiring her to register as a sex offender he does not require her to attend any mandatory counseling.unsupervised probation?I guess that means it’s up to the general public to keep an eye on her.Then this judge has the nerve to make the statement “This is certainly a tragic case on many, many levels.”By that I assume he means that somehow Mrs.Leathers is also some type of victim in all of this.To Judge Finan since you have so much compassion for Mrs.Leather maybe you could hire her to tutor your children or grandchildren.
One year suspended sentence? Dang… Guess that is going to be the green light for the next sexual revolution. Cougars going after males 16 and under. Lock up your sons!
@Paul:
If that is true, then the better thing for her to have done was call DHR. She was out of her line of expertise to do what you say she may have done.