Comments on: Timothy Sheehan http://badbadteacher.com/timothy-sheehan/ School Sex Scandals - The Dark Side of Teacher-Student Relations Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:13:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: fellow colleague http://badbadteacher.com/timothy-sheehan/#comment-15513 fellow colleague Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:56:49 +0000 http://badbadteacher.com/2007/06/05/timothy-sheehan-charged/#comment-15513 Beyond a misrepresentation of facts (images were not found on the computers, just a record of the downloading of images that were no longer there), there is a crucial element missing; Tim only took an Alford plea (not an admission of guilt at all, but rather an acknowledgment that the admissible evidence was likely to produce a guilty verdict) after the court denied admission of any information regarding his ex-girlfriend, the key defense in the case. There is a reason why this woman "fears the consequences" from Tim's defenders. Not because we would be any threat to her, but because many of us had a front row seat to her behaviors in the relationship prior to their breakup and know that her history of manipulation, her previous relationship with a former teacher decades older than her that began when she was 17, her erratic behaviors throughout their involvement casts more than just doubt on this case. Justice could not be, and was not, served without a full accounting of the history of the woman whose hearsay seems to be such a key factor in Tim's conviction, both in court and in the court of public opinion. I've known Tim for years and the reason so many kids say that he was one of their favorite teachers is because they rightly knew he was truly on their side. Keep this in mind: He wasn't found guilty, he took a plea because he wasn't allowed to fully make his case. Beyond a misrepresentation of facts (images were not found on the computers, just a record of the downloading of images that were no longer there), there is a crucial element missing; Tim only took an Alford plea (not an admission of guilt at all, but rather an acknowledgment that the admissible evidence was likely to produce a guilty verdict) after the court denied admission of any information regarding his ex-girlfriend, the key defense in the case.

There is a reason why this woman “fears the consequences” from Tim’s defenders. Not because we would be any threat to her, but because many of us had a front row seat to her behaviors in the relationship prior to their breakup and know that her history of manipulation, her previous relationship with a former teacher decades older than her that began when she was 17, her erratic behaviors throughout their involvement casts more than just doubt on this case. Justice could not be, and was not, served without a full accounting of the history of the woman whose hearsay seems to be such a key factor in Tim’s conviction, both in court and in the court of public opinion.

I’ve known Tim for years and the reason so many kids say that he was one of their favorite teachers is because they rightly knew he was truly on their side. Keep this in mind: He wasn’t found guilty, he took a plea because he wasn’t allowed to fully make his case.

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