(3/20/08 – Initial BBT Report)
Mary Jo Spack, 45, an Honors English teacher at Freedom High School in Tampa, Florida was arrested Thursday afternoon and charged with having sex with and providing alcohol to her students.
Spack is charged with 1 Count of Unlawful Sex with a Minor and 2 Counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a minor.
It is alleged that Spack picked up two students, ages 17 and 18, took them to a liquor store and subsequently to a Howard Johnson Motel where they consumed alcohol together and Spack allegedly had sex with the 17-year-old in the shower.
It is alleged that three other students from Freedom High School were also in the motel room.
Spack has been placed on paid administrative leave until the school board meets in April.
Spack was arrested at the school on Thursday and was subsequently released from the Hillsborough County’s Orient Road Jail Thursday night on $8500 bond.
Spack came to the attention of authorities when school administrators contacted police as rumors of a 17-year-old boy bragging about having sex with Spack swept the school campus.
This is the second time in a week that a Hillsborough County teacher was arrested for having sex with a student. Stephanie Marie Ragusa was arrested and charged recently on allegations that she had sex with a student five times while working as a teacher at Davidsen Middle School.
References:
Freedom High Teacher Arrested For Sex With Student (3/21/08)
Second teacher arrest stuns students, parents (3/20/08)
Teacher Charged With Sex With Minor (3/20/08)
Freedom High teacher arrested for having sex with student (3/20/08)
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and if anyone is curious, the “victim” turned 18 on april 14, and this happened in the middle of march. what a shame…
oh yea?…I heard about a case in orlando where the DA declined to prosecute a 23 yr old guy (AOC in fl is 16 if ur under 24) who had sex with a 15 yr old girl b/c she was pretty close to the age of consent. she then went on youtube and whined about it. I say she got what she deserved.
so this isn’t unheard of. We need more prosecutors who realize that this one glove fits all mentality doesn’t work.
crimes involving money, physical injury, drunkenness, slander, vandalism etc. are all measurable and verifiable. sex is such a gray area that the law is far too specific with. (Name Deleted by site moderator) was the man here, he should have stepped in and stopped this before anything happened.
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Days away or weeks away, what difference does it make? Nobody is splitting hairs – there is a specific and definite line which distinguishes legal from illegal and this woman crossed that line. Where is the debate here? Do you get out of a DUI since you were only .01 above the limit? No. Are you excused from theft if you only steal a few dollars from a store? No. There is absolute clarity on this issue – there is no need to introduce “sort of” and “close enough.”
a good teacher: this would actually still be illegal in the UK (and most states) since shes a teacher. though the AOC is 16 there (and 16 or 17 in most states), there is usually always an exception that raises AOC to 18 when someone has a position of authority over them.
(Name Deleted by site moderator) was only DAYS away from his 18th birthday. DAYS!!!!! the cops are realllyy splitting hairs here. If I was the DA, I would drop the sex charge in exchange for guilty pleas on the 2 delinquency charges. I would then sentence her to 1 year probation on each. case closed, tax dollars NOT wasted.
This comment has been edited by site moderator in accordance with site policies as outlined in the “Comments” page. Please note: We NEVER knowingly publish the names of victims, alleged or proven, of sex crimes.
Reason – this isn’t the UK and the law is clear. She knew the law and she willfully broke the law.
In the UK the legal age of consent is 16.This “boy” was not only 17 but bragged about it.Where is the crime the lad was crowing about it.The picture of the poor woman shows her bewildered as well she might be.Firstly she has served the community well and does a terrific job and her life must have been turned upside down and secondly you can see she is unfamiliar with being thought of as a criminal.
OK what she did was unprofessional as she might show favouritism to the student beacuse of their liason but nothing more.
I just can not fathom what must be going through these people’s heads when they decide to cross this line. Just look at the number of teachers who are publicly crucified for this – the shattered marriages, the devastated children, the sensational media coverage. How can this not deter people?
I’ve been teaching for 24 years and never has the idea of crossing the line appealed to me. The reasons for not doing so are self evident. But if it ever DID – who in their right mind would go through with it given the obvious and severe consequences that are laid out time and time again? It’s mind-boggling that anyone would decide that it was worth the risk.
Honestly – I wish the perpetrators of these crimes would candidly and honestly explain their thought processes to the world so that we could better understand this problem and hopefully be able to proactively address them moving forward.
wow miss spack, you were a good teacher, but seriously you banged a 17 yearold lol? anyway people have done worse, take it easy! atleast he was essentially a consenting adult…17.
Ahaha, I saw Spack the other month at Starbucks. She’s still with her husband, and still together. I can’t believe she hangs around the area still.
hmmm…I dont know what to think ! Mrs.Spack was also my teacher i always thought of her as a great person and a great example for everyone …. not long ago i saw her at sturbucks she looked different than what i remember her for she looked scared and tired , everybody makes mistakes but there are things which should never be done … Mrs.Spack was one of those people who did that
one day u have everything the next u loose and have nothing 4ever
How to fix this? she is still a life that’s all it matters 4 her and she has a daughter there is still hope …. i wish you good luck mrs.spack hope that people will also remember all those great things u did for people before and not the only mistake u made