Garry Wilcox
Posted by: Webmaster in California, Charter Schools, Coaches, Geography, Hall of Shame, High Schools, ME-FV
(05/19/08 - Initial BBT Report)
Garry Wilcox, 44, a geography teacher and girl’s soccer coach at Helix High School in La Mesa, California has been arrested on allegations of having sex with a female student.
Wilcox was arrested on Sunday night and booked into the county jail on suspicion of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, contact with a minor with intent to commit sexual offense and entering a building with the intent to commit a felony.
Wilcox allegedly had sex at least once with a female student in a hotel room when she was 16 or 17. The alleged victim is now 18 and is still a student at Helix High School.
Wilcox is reportedly being held in lieu $70,000 bail and has been placed on administrative leave by the school.
Wilcox who worked at Helix High School for 13 years is the third teacher from the school to be arrested in the past two years on sex charges involving students.
06/03/08 - Not Guilty Plea
Garry Wilcox entered a not guilty plea today to charges of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and attending and arranging an elicit meeting with a minor.
Wilcox remains free on $70,000 bail.
He has a readiness conference set for July 10 and a preliminary hearing set for July 22.
07/24/08 - Guilty Plea
Garry Wilcox, in a plea deal with prosecutors, has pleaded guilty to one count of having unlawful sex with a minor.
As part of the plea deal prosecutors have dropped a second charge.
According to Wilcox’s attorney, “he admitted he had a sexual relationship with the girl and wanted to put the matter behind him.
Wilcox faces up to one year in jail at sentencing on August 27th.
08/27/08 - Sentencing
Garry Wilcox has been sentenced to a year in jail and placed on probation for three years.
The judge ruled that Wilcox can serve his jail term in a work-furlough program where he’s allowed to leave for work but must return every night to a lock-up.
The judge also ruled that Wilcox will NOT be required to register as a sex offender, however he will be required to pay for counseling for the victim and her family.
References:
Former Helix teacher gets work furlough (08/27/08)
Ex-Helix High Teacher Sentenced For Sex With Student (08/27/08)
Helix High teacher pleads guilty to student sex charges (07/24/08)
Helix HS Teacher Pleads Not Guilty To Sex With Student (06/03/08)
3rd Helix High Teacher Accused Of Sex With Student (05/19/08)
Helix High teacher arrested on suspicion of having sex with student (05/19/08)
Helix High School is Teacher Arrested for Having Sex with a Student (05/19/08)
Helix High School Teacher Arrested For Sexual Misconduct (05/19/08)
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November 20th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Umm that beezy should have got in trouble to! i knew her and she knew exactly what she was doing, so to call her innocent and that she is blameless is (Deleted by site moderator)…yeah he was wrong in what he did but he was also a really great teacher who would help you out know matter what. but we all mess up it isnt like she was some little (***) kid!!!
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October 26th, 2008 at 1:09 am
I am in shock. Mr. wilcox was my soccer coach!! I thought he was a good coach. Damn, looks can be deceiving.
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I can’t believe that all of this is happening to Helix. I just wanted to say quickly I had Mr. Wilcox my freshman and jr. year back in 98 and 99 and he never made me feel uncomfortable in anyway or the other kids in the class. Lets not forget it take two to do the Mambo Mattress!
September 16th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I agree with you PROUD HELIX. Parents do need to be the role models in thier childs lives. If parents left it up to other poeple to educate thier child in life issues, who knows how thier kid will turn out. I know I never want anyone else to influence the way my innocent 4 year old sees the world but her father and I. For example, if i let Ted Bundy, for an example, instill his values and morals and what he believed to be right and wrong into my daughter, than my daughter could quite possibly end up a serial killer. Now i know that is dramatic but even the smallest bit of info can leave footprints on our children. Case and point: My daughter was eating her ice cream cone when an acron from the tree above us falling smack dab in the middle of her ice cream scoop. My daughter looks at the acorn and studies it for a sec and then says “Dod damnit. Why do these things always happen to me.” I realize she immatated my husband when he went out to get the mail just the day before and stepped on a slug that was hidden under a leaf. Kids are perceptive and they listen even if they don’t act like it. They know whats going on.
These teenagers have a sense of right and wrong and many of them know exactly what they are doing when they get into these situtations. So congratulations to the “victim” who has now ruined two lives over thier selfishness.
Garry, if you ever check your “sex scandal” page, then I hope you know that there are people out there who sympathize for you and can read through BS. There are also many who empathize and know exactly how you got your self wrapped up in this situation. So hang in there and remember that everything gets better in time.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
To Guru:
By blameless do you mean that a 17 year old woman, who is not deaf, mute, or blind, is completely unaware of the consequences (for the teacher) of engaging in a sexual relationship with a teacher/person in authority that you can learn by simply watching the nightly news or seeing news reports on the internet of the increasing number of schools dealing with this sort of scandal? Or do you mean that she has the same blamelessness as a completely sober woman who was dressed conservatively in every manner who was forced upon and raped against her will? Please, save us the “cause and effect of sex” speech, because that only proves more that the parents were negligent. Let’s say, hypothetically, that she is completely blameless, and that she didn’t realize how much trouble she could get Wilcox into by sleeping with him. Without having to state the obvious, YES WILCOX IS AT FAULT. He was the adult in the situation, but wouldn’t she have been a little more aware of what consequences may follow sex if her parents had taken the time to educate her? Please, I knew the possible effects of sex when I was fourteen, and because I knew those I didn’t become involved with anyone until I was 17, and even then I knew what I could be risking. I certainly didn’t get involved with any teachers because I had a little thing called “common sense”. Perhaps you’ve heard of it, but based on your statements you refuse to exercise it.
As a society we so often confuse what and who should be considered a role model. Teachers are just that: Teachers. They are there to teach us a subject, not how to live our lives. That is what our parents are for. If we cannot look to our parents as role models, then yes, someone needs to step in, but to be quite honest, our government does not pay teachers enough to assume that role. For that matter, we shouldn’t put our complete trust as citizens in teachers, because we know nothing of their personal lives. Case in point: Garry Wilcox, Mary Kay Liternou (not sure how you spell her name but you get the idea), the previous two teachers at Helix, and any other teacher that has been mixed up with a student. Why, instead of putting all your faith in what the teachers are educating our children about, don’t you take the time to sit down with your kids and teach them “the facts of life” yourself? Teachers are certified and employed to educate students in a specific subject or trade so they are better prepared for the occupational aspect in life. Lessons like integrity, honesty, self-respect and respect for others are meant for us to instruct our children in. WE need to be their role models, because they not only see our professional lives, but they see how we live our personal lives. WE need to live by example. WE need to teach them the consequences of our actions. WE NEED TO BE THERE FOR THEM EACH DAY, NOT PUT THE JOB ON THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND PRAY THEY ARE MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES.
I spent my high school years without a father figure because mine passed away when I was 10. Yes, I was drawn to authority figures, but because I needed that reassurance that I was doing something right with my life, and that I was achieving my goals. That didn’t cause me to go sleeping or flirting with all my male teachers just because I needed that security. When I needed security, I learned to go talk to my brothers, or a family friend, or even a pastor. This is yet again another example of why the parents need to be more involved. If what you’re saying really is true, Guru, that she was looking for security because she was “naturally drawn to older men”, then why wasn’t her father a better influence in her life? If we fail as parents, we set up our children to fail. So in a way, yes you are correct, she is blameless. But a 17 year old girl, who is close to being considered a legal adult, and was a junior in high school, meaning that she was there when the first two sex scandals occured, should have been fully aware of what would happen should she have acted on her urges. She knew he was married, and she knew what could happen if anyone found out. But she made the selfish decision to act with him, when she could have taken the higher road and simply said no. Instead, she has now torn apart two families, and ruined two careers. I would have believed her to be blameless if it had only happened with Wilcox, but because she continued on to Wenham, and now it’s speculated there was one more teacher she involved herself with, I can’t believe anyone would see her as anything close to a victim.
August 28th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I hate to tell everon1, but I am not suprised it happened.
August 28th, 2008 at 9:21 am
The girl is blameless. What does it take to get people to understand that young adolescents doesn’t understand the cause and effect of sex. Yes, kids are starting to have sex at a very young age, but that doesn’t make it right or acceptable. A teacher is older, authority figure and is able to manipulate young minds, girls are drawn to authority figures and the security that she feels with an older male. A teacher is a trusted member of the community and should be held to higher standards then the average citizen. Plus, a teacher should be a role model for their students, and being too friendily or a lover destroys that.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
From what I understand from comments made by other students, the girl was promiscuous and was frequently putting herself in inappropriate situations with teachers (ie. sitting on their laps, using their computer without permission, using sexually explicit language when talking to them, etc.) I cannot STAND it when people who are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong play the “victim” card, and yet turn around and commit the same act with another teacher.
I had Mr. Wilcox for my entire Freshman year, and he even had to teach us sex ed (which is not an easy subject for those that still giggle at the word sex or the mention of privates). He was extremely professional the entire time, and not once did he make any inappropriate advances at any of the students, or did he do anything that would make the average person uncomfortable. To those of you that say he was “checking you out”, or your students were complaining about similar issues, grow up. You’re no better than the parents that dress their underage daughters in tube tops and miniskirts and then check the internet for local sex offenders: you’re asking for trouble.
I’m not saying that Mr. Wilcox is blameless: he’s an adult, and with the growing awarenes of student/teacher sex scandals he should have known better. That’s on him for his poor judgement. However, the student AND her parents are not without fault either. The student was old enough to know what she was doing, AND she continued to do it (so please, save me the “she’s still hurting speech”. She’s still allowed to go on living with her life and pursue her post-high school career as if nothing happened, while two careers and families are destroyed. A few dirty looks compared to nosy paparazzi and a life-long criminal record is nothing, so if you’re reading this, sweetheart, you brought in on yourself..Learn to keep your legs shut, and the problems will stop.
What amazes me the most is her PARENTS DIDN’T DO ANYTHING UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE! If they had been keeping better tabs on their daughter, they would have prevented anything from happening. Why should Mr. Wilcox completely pay for their parental negligence? Last I checked, the act at the hotel was consensual, and she decided to go with him. Last I also checked, sex takes two consenting partners. He didn’t rape her, didn’t force her into anything. SHE EVEN TOOK PICTURES WHICH SHE LATER SENT TO HIM! That doesn’t sound like a victim to me.
I’m just sad to see that the same girl could not refrain from subjecting Mr. Wenham to the same destroyed career. Helix just isn’t the same since I graduated in 2004. I feel sorry for the students that are missing out on what used to be a great institution. All the great teachers have left, passed on, or are now not allowed to teach anymore. Helix needs to go back to the basics, even if it means giving up their charter in order to get their act straight and focus on the students, not it’s status in the district.
August 1st, 2008 at 2:23 am
me and my friend would sit next to each other and when we were talkin he would make references about us being gay!
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June 5th, 2008 at 1:18 am
i had him as a teacher and he never seemed like the type of person who would do that… all of this is crazy and gives our school a bad reputation. when its actually a good school!