(7/27/07 - Initial BBT Report)

Thomas Pagliaro, 32, the newly hired head football coach and special education teacher at Highland High School, in Highland, Illinois has been arrested on charges of sexually abusing a teen girl and fleeing police.

It is alleged that Madison County sheriff’s deputy spotted Pagliaro’s car parked on the street near an empty home in Godfrey. When investigators approached the car it sped away with its lights off going 50 mph on 25mph streets. After a short chase the car crashed into a mailbox. Inside deputies found Pagliaro and a 16-year-old girl.

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David Janssen, 55, a former teacher and coach at Hortonville High School in Hortonville, WI, accused of sexual contact with two under-aged female students has received a delay of his previously schedule June 11 trial.

Janssen is charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of sexual assault of a student by school staff. The charges against Janssen are alleging two victims. One alleged victim was 13 and 14 years old in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years and the other alleged victim, now 24, attended Hortonville High School from 1998 to 2001.

Janssen’s attorney requested counseling records on one of the alleged victims and a postponement of the trial to allow for enough time to review those records.

Until Janssen resigned in the wake of the sex abuse allegations he was the Hortonville High girls basketball coach and the physical education teacher at the middle school.

Janssen is currently free on $10,000 bond.

Update 7/21/07:

The trial for David Janssen has been set for October 15th.

05/16/08 - David Janssen Acquitted On All Charges

Thanks to a reader whose comment appears below we are now aware that David Janssen was acquitted of all charges on 18 October, 2007.

Janssen was found not guilty of three counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of sexual assault by a school staff member.

Reference:

Former Hortonville coach acquitted (10/19/07)

Trial date set in Hortonville teacher sex case (7/21/07)

Trial postponed in Hortonville teacher sex abuse case

Judge postpones trial in Janssen sex abuse case

Background:

Accuser Faces Former Coach on Sex Assault Charge

Hortonville Coach Faces More Sex Assault Charges

Jeremy Bennett, 28, a second-grade teacher at Sallas Mahone Elementary School in Valdosta, Georgia has been arrested on two counts of sexual battery against two 7-year-old female students.

The warrant charges Bennett with felony sexual battery on allegations that he touched the buttocks of two seven-year-old girls.

Bennett turned himself into police after a warrant was issued for his arrest and was subsequently released on $25,000 bail.

Bennett who has reportedly worked for the school for three years was placed on unpaid suspension from his job.

05/12/08 - Not Guilty!

After nearly three hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts in the trial of Jeremy Bennett.

Bennett’s attorney said the deciding factor in the outcome of the case was the 24 character witnesses testifying in Bennett’s behalf and the state’s theory of the case that the inappropriate touching occurred in his classroom in front of 17 other students just did not make sense.

References:

Teacher found not guilty (05/08/08)

Students give testimony in Bennett trial (05/08/08)

Georgia Elementary Teacher Facing Sex Charges (9/25/07)

Valdosta Sexual Battery Investigation (9/25/07)

Valdosta teacher out on bond (9/25/07)

Update1: Valdosta Teacher Arrested for Sexual Battery