(07/10/08 - Initial BBT Report)

William R. Thompson, 55, a science teacher at North Kitsap High School in Poulsbo, Washington has been charged on allegations that he made advances and eventually kissed a 15-year-old girl during tutoring sessions.

Although Thompson taught at North Kitsap High School last year he was a teacher at Poulsbo Junior High School when the alleged incidents occurred.

Thompson has been arraigned on one count of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes. Both charges are gross misdemeanors and both are punishable by up to a year in jail.

Thompson appeared in court after being summoned. He has not been arrested and was not jailed.

References:

North Kitsap Teacher Charged for Sexually Pursuing 15-Year-Old Girl (07/10/08)

(10/23/07 - Initial BBT Report)

William B. Pickerel, 72, a former full-time history teacher and recent substitute teacher at Kennewick High School, in Kennewick, Washington, has been arrested on allegations of sexual misconduct with a student.

Pickerel was arrested Friday on two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, identified by police only as a 16 or 17-year-old student. Thus far police have not revealed if the alleged victim is male or female.

Reportedly Pickerel often took students to Seattle to sporting events at his own expense. One student said of these trips, “He takes kids to Seattle for baseball games, football games, basketball games. He does it all and he pays for it. The kids don’t have to pay for nothing. He takes care of everything. He’s been doing these trips for a long time and nothing like this has ever come up.”

Pickerel is alleged to have had sexual contact with a students during such trips.

The school district said those trips were not sanctioned by the school.

Pickerel is being held at the Benton County Jail on a 72-hour investigative hold with bail set at $200,000.

Reportedly the school district has taken Pickerel off the substitute teacher’s list.

William Pickerel worked for the Kennewick schools for 47 years and retired in 1998. After retirement he has worked as a substitute teacher at Kennewick High School, where the annex is named Pickerel Hall in his honor.

Update 10/25/07 - Court Appearance, Not Guilty Plea

William Pickerel appeared in court yesterday and entered a not guilty plea on two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor in the first degree.

Pickerel’s attorney succeeded in getting his bond amount reduced from $200,000 to $100,00 in spite of prosecutor’s claim that Pickerel is a danger to the community and possibly to himself. The prosecutor told the judge “Mr. Pickerel said in a document to a detective that he ‘wanted to take the easy way out.”

Seattle police are continuing their investigation and indicate that additional victims may exist.

11/30/07 - New Charges Filed In King County

William Pickerel has been arrested again and is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.

Pickerel has been charged in King County amid allegations he had sex with students on trips there. The new charges include two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor in the first degree, one in the second degree and two more counts of child molestation.

05/09/08 - Guilty Pleas

On Thursday William Pickerel pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court to two counts each of third-degree child molestation and first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor, all felonies. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of second-degree sexual misconduct with a minor.

Benton County charges against Pickerel will be dismissed in light of his guilty pleas in King County.

Typically the charges to which Pickerel pleaded guilty involve a five year prison sentence, however prosecutors are going to recommend an exceptional sentence of 10 years on each count owing to the aggravating factor that Pickerel used a position of trust to commit the sexual assaults.

Sentencing is set for June 20th and Pickerel remains jailed awaiting sentencing.

06/20/08 - Sentencing

William Pickerel was sentenced today to an “exceptional sentence” of 10 years in prison.

Prosecutors sought the exception sentence because Pickerel used a position of trust to commit the sexual assaults against the victims.

References:

Former Kennewick teacher gets 10 years in child-molestation case (06/20/08)

Kennewick teacher pleads guilty to student sex charges (05/09/08)

William Pickerel Behind Bars Again for Sex Crimes (11/30/07)

Former Kennewick Teacher Charged with Sex Crimes in King County (11/30/07)

Kennewick families to get letter about retired teacher (10/27/07)

Not Guilty Plea for Teacher Accused of Sexual Misconduct (10/25/07)

Kennewick teacher charged with sexual misconduct (10/24/07)

Long-time Kennewick Teacher Accused of Sex with Student (10/22/07)

Teacher Arrested for Sex Crime

(8/13/07 - Initial BBT Report)

Jennifer Leigh Rice, 31, a former contract teacher at McKinley Elementary in Tacoma, Washington has been arrested on allegations of child rape.

Rice was arrested Saturday on one count of second-degree kidnapping, five counts of first-degree child rape and four counts of first-degree child molestation in a case alleging a 10-year-old boy who was the Rice’s former student at McKinley Elementary as victim.

Allegedly Rice took the 10-year-old boy with her when she left a party around 3 a.m. headed for an Idaho amusement park when they stopped at a rest area in Ellensburg, napped and had sex.

Read the rest of this entry »

(06/05/07 - Initial BBT Report)

Timothy D. Sheehan, 50, a teacher at Whitman Middle School in Seattle, has been charged with one count of possession of depiction of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Sheehan came to the attention of authorities when a woman who dated him prior to their breakup in May told police he showed her child pornography on his computer.

The woman, who said she broke up with him in early May, said Sheehan “talked … about killing young boys” and fantasized “about having sex with underage boys,” according to a search warrant obtained by KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

According to the documents, Sheehan told his former girlfriend that he was a “pedophile” and a “rapist.”

When detectives went to serve a search warrant to look at the computer, Sheehan allegedly told them it was at school.

Detectives seized the computer and found 39 images they say show minors in sexually explicit acts.

Sheehan who has taught boys and girls at Whitman Middle School for years is scheduled for arraignment on June 12 in the King County Courthouse. He has not yet been arrested and will likely have to post $10,000 at his June hearing. He has been suspended with pay by the school system.

06/12/07 - Arraignment

Timothy Sheehan has been arraigned at which time he entered a not guilty plea to a charge alleging the possession of depiction of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

From KIRO News

The investigation began after a woman who said she dated Sheehan told police he showed her child pornography on his computer.

The woman, who said she broke up with him in early May, said Sheehan “talked … about killing young boys” and fantasized “about having sex with underage boys,” according to a search warrant obtained by KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

Sheehan, a veteran teacher, is currently on leave from Whitman Middle School and denies all the allegations against him.

05/12/08 - Guilty Plea, Woman Lived In Fear

Last week Timothy Sheehan pleaded guilty to child porn and resigned from his teaching job.

The ex-girlfriend that turned him in says she has been hiding since last May because she feared the consequences from the Sheehan and his supporters.

No information on when sentencing will occur, although Sheehan will be required to register as a sex offender.

06/13/08 - Sentencing

Timothy Sheehan has been sentenced to a suspended two-year jail sentence provided that he get sexual-deviancy treatment, register as a sex offender, use a pornography filter on his computer, stay away from minors except when another adult is present and not hold any position of authority over kids.

The prosecution recommended the above sentence except the prosecution sought to bar Sheehan from any contact with minors. The judge modified the recommendation to include the “other adult” provision.

References:

Avoiding jail, teacher ordered to get treatment for having child porn (06/13/08)

Woman Says She Lived In Fear After Exposing Teacher To Police (05/12/08)

Seattle Teacher Enters Plea To Child Porn Charge (06/12/07)

Teacher charged with possessing child porn

Seattle Teacher Charged With Possessing Child Porn

Seattle teacher charged with posessing child porn

(04/19/08 - Initial BBT Report)

Phil McGee, 74, a former physical-education teacher at B.F. Day and Rainier View elementary schools in Seattle, Washington has pleaded guilty to molesting four sisters he groomed for 10 years.

The girls were sisters and the molestations occurred from 2002 to 2006, beginning when the youngest was about 7-years-old and the oldest was 15-years-old.

In addition to being a physical-education teacher, McGee had also worked as a police chief in Grand Coulee in Eastern Washington.

In 2002, officials at B.F. Day reprimanded McGee for his “inappropriately close relationship” with the girls. McGee rather than ending the relationship got the mother to sign a “power of attorney” letter she couldn’t read, as she is Cambodian and speaks no English.

McGee was placed on leave in April 2005 and fired in October 2006.

Reportedly McGee was charged with molesting his 6-year-old granddaughter in 2005. Those charges were later reduced to fourth-degree assault in a plea agreement. McGee served two days in jail and was was placed on probation.

Owing to his guilty plea McGee now faces 12 to 17 years in prison, although prosecutors reportedly intend to ask for a 20 years sentence owing to exceptional circumstances.

06/12/08 - Sentencing

Phil McGee has been sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison.

McGee told the judge that he realizes this is a life sentence.

McGee was quoted as saying, “You know what they say about old age. It doesn’t last long. Most likely, I’m not going to see the end of anyway”.

References:

Seattle PE teacher sentenced for molesting sisters (06/12/08)

Guilty plea to molesting sisters (04/18/08)

Former Seattle Teacher Charged With Child Molestation (03/29/07)

Police looking for PE teacher accused of molestation (03/27/07)