Texas Teacher Gets 5 Years For Sex With 18-Year-Old Jocks

[Formaldehyde]

Ex-Teacher Gets 5-Year Prison Term for Student Sex

A former North Texas high school teacher was convicted Friday and sentenced to five years in prison for having sex with five 18-year-old students at her home.

The Tarrant County jury decided on the sentence for Brittni Nicole Colleps, 28, of Arlington after nearly three hours of deliberation. It took jurors less than an hour to find her guilty earlier in the day of 16 counts of having an inappropriate relationship between a student and teacher. The second-degree felony is punishable by two to 20 years in prison per count.

The former Kennedale High School English teacher had sex with the students at her home over two months in 2011, authorities said.

Colleps is married and has three children. She turned herself in after a cellphone video of one encounter that involved multiple students emerged. That video was shown a trial.

Three former students who testified Thursday said that they did not consider themselves victims and did not want to see their former English teacher prosecuted. The three were football and track athletes.

rlington police Detective Jason Houston testified that charges were filed because "18 or not, it's a crime" for a teacher to have sex with her students.

Two former students told jurors their relationships with Colleps began with the exchange of text messages that quickly turned sexual.

A 19-year-old testified that he had gone to Colleps' home twice with friends and they all engaged in sexual conduct.

A former student who is now 20 testified that he engaged in group sex and recorded his last encounter on a cellphone. He said initially the students spoke of the importance of keeping their activities quiet because they didn't want their teacher to get in trouble.

The 20-year-old also said when school officials called him into the office to question him in May 2011, he denied the trysts at first because "I was trying to save her."

Colleps' husband was serving in the military overseas at the time of the encounters. Christopher Colleps said Friday that he is mad at his wife, but stands by her "because 'til death do us part means 'til death do us part."

He said putting her in jail would punish him and their children for something they had no control over.

Kennedale is a town of about 7,300 residents near Arlington, eight miles southeast of Fort Worth. The high school has about 3,200 students.

Do you think this is a reasonable sentence for having consensual sex with adults? Or is being fired for such a grievous act sufficient punishment?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I don't understand why jail would be needed. What is the societal benefit of severely punishing relations between an adult teacher and an adult student?

 

[MobBoss]

Your asking the wrong question. The real question is:

Do you think this is a reasonable sentence for a teacher having sex with her high school students while her husband is deployed in the military?

I think simply being fired for that isnt punishment enough.

EDIT: Here is another story with her pic and the headline says she ended up getting 5 years in prison for it. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...H8vUnw?docId=56b46e36b9344a42ab011bb79a2fafee

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I didn't realize the police should be in charge of enforcing morality.

 

[GhostWriter16]

Ex-Teacher Gets 5-Year Prison Term for Student Sex

Do you think this is a reasonable sentence for having consensual sex with adults? Or is being fired for such a grievous act sufficient punishment?

I do think there should be some punishment here, because of the difference in power between teacher and student. The possibility of abuse is simply too high. What if the teacher forced them to do it in order to avoid failing them, or something? Such laws do make sense simply to avoid the possibility.

I also think, unless there is evidence of such, 5 years is too much. In fact, I'd say locking someone up for this is too much. A fine or something should be sufficient.

Do you think this is a reasonable sentence for a teacher having sex with her high school students while her husband is deployed in the military?

I missed that part. I'd still say its too much though. Locking up a non-violent person feels like a total waste of resources.

I think, since a marital contract generally involves making a promise to the other partner not to have sex with anyone else, the husband should be able to sue her civily for what she did, in addition to whatever legal penalty. I'm not really sure there should be a criminal penalty, but if it is it should be a fine or community service, not prison time.

The fact that her husband is in the military shouldn't legally make a difference one way or another.

 

[MobBoss]

I didn't realize the police should be in charge of enforcing morality.

You think its moral for a high school teacher to have sex with her students?

 

[civver_764]

5 years in prison is insane. The only people that need to be involved in this is the woman's family.

 

[Thedrin]

MobBoss:
Do you think this is a reasonable sentence for a teacher having sex with her high school students while her husband is deployed in the military?

should read

Do you think this is a reasonable sentence for a teacher having sex with her high school students?

Yes, I do. A government employee abusing their government position deserves harsh punishment. I'm in favour of government involving itself in society; providing roads, schooling, welfare, policing, regulating business. This may not be the worst example of a person abusing power resulting from a government position, but all such abuse should be treated harshly.

I'm assuming she worked for a state school. If it's a private school, then it would depend on what the law says about breaches in employment contracts and if she breached her contract.

 

[MobBoss]

5 years in prison is insane. The only people that need to be involved in this is the woman's family.

Actually, if the range of punishment is 2 years to 20 per charge, she got off pretty light.

should read

Yes, I do.

Unless the US government imprisons people for having affairs, the existence of a husband has no baring on this case. That he's working abroad or in the military is also irrelevant.

And i'm only mentioning that as I am more sensitive to it than most being in the military. I've seen soldiers commit suicide over this type of thing happening.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Here's more details about how she "cheated" on her adoring monogamous husband while he was overseas:

HER OWN MOM KNEW Colleps and HUSBAND had group sex, too: She's found guilty over orgy with former students, sentenced to 5 years in jail.

Explosive testimory from Brittni Colleps' husband Christopher and her own mother Friday revealed in court that the couple had had group sex before the military relocated him. And her own mother even knew about it.

The jury, having heard this and other testimony, deliberated for under three hours to sentence the 28-year-old former high-school teacher to five years in jail. Earlier Friday, she was convicted guilty on all 16 counts of having improper relationships between an educator and student.

The explosive courtroom testimony Friday included the dramatic moment when the husband to the married mother of three, who had publicly announced his support for his wife before the trial began, cried when defense attorney Lex Johnston asked him if the couple had sex with others.

“Yes sir,” he answered, the paper reported.

The most damning evidence against Colleps was a homemade graphic videotape, shown Wednesday, of the blond engaging in group sex with four students at once.

Her husband said he had seen the tape and that, while it made him angry, what occurred was "between me and her and God."

Christopher Colleps said his children cried when he let them know that “mommy did some bad things and made some bad choices and … might have to go away," USA Today reported.

One student also testified that the fired English teacher had performed oral sex on him twice and that he felt "happy" to be in her home.

Colleps' chances of were further undermined by hundreds of texts in which the teacher sent a student messages in which she stated that she was an "anything goes in sex kind of girl."

The simple truth of the matter is that many military personnel and their wives have extramarital affairs while they are deployed overseas. The only thing that makes this case particularly unusual is that it involved multiple adult high school students and even at the same time.

 

[civver_764]

Actually, if the range of punishment is 2 years to 20 per charge, she got off pretty light.

This shouldn't be legislated in the first place.

 

[Flying Pig]

should read



Yes, I do.

Unless the US government imprisons people for having affairs, the existence of a husband has no baring on this case. That he's working abroad or in the military is also irrelevant.

The issue here is a breach of trust. Consenting adults or not, students are hugely open to influence by their teachers, and it is an abuse of your position if you are in a privilaged position with young people to have any sort of relationship with them beyond the professional. I work with children and young people myself, and I would say that what she did was the ultimate in bad conduct; if anything, she got off lightly.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

You think its moral for a high school teacher to have sex with her students?

You have an interesting way of reading posts. I think discouraging infidelity is better served by societal pressure and institutional rules (e.g. being fired and future employers knowing about it) than law enforcement.

 

[Thedrin]

Actually, if the range of punishment is 2 years to 20 per charge, she got off pretty light.



And i'm only mentioning that as I am more sensitive to it than most being in the military. I've seen soldiers commit suicide over this type of thing happening.

I edited my post so the bit you responded to has been deleted. But it's not relevant to the sentence.

 

[MobBoss]

Here's more details about how she "cheated" on her adoring monogamous husband while he was overseas:

Well, that in that testimony he just confessed of comitting adultery which is still a chargeable offense under the UCMJ. I wouldnt be surprised if he is an active duty soldier for this to result in charges against him as well.

The simple truth of the matter is that many military personnel and their wives have extramarital affairs while they are deployed overseas.

And that doesnt make it right.

This shouldn't be legislated in the first place.

Of course it should be. High School teachers having sex with their students should always be against the law.

 

[civver_764]

Of course it should be. High School teachers having sex with their students should always be against the law.

Why? The students were all 18.

 

[MobBoss]

This is why:

The issue here is a breach of trust. Consenting adults or not, students are hugely open to influence by their teachers, and it is an abuse of your position if you are in a privilaged position with young people to have any sort of relationship with them beyond the professional. I work with children and young people myself, and I would say that what she did was the ultimate in bad conduct; if anything, she got off lightly.

The military has the same kind of rule with drill instructors and they adult students they teach. It is abuse of authority.

 

[Thedrin]

The issue here is a breach of trust. Consenting adults or not, students are hugely open to influence by their teachers, and it is an abuse of your position if you are in a privilaged position with young people to have any sort of relationship with them beyond the professional. I work with children and young people myself, and I would say that what she did was the ultimate in bad conduct; if anything, she got off lightly.

You're post read likes you're disagreeing with me, but I don't think the punishment was harsh. I've amended my original post to make this clearer.

 

[GhostWriter16]

You think its moral for a high school teacher to have sex with her students?

I think the statement "I didn't know morality should be enforced by the police" implies that morality actually was breeched, and is simply saying it shouldn't be legally legislated. I don't know where he said

Actually, if the range of punishment is 2 years to 20 per charge, she got off pretty light.

We're commenting on whether the charge was fair. We aren't saying it wasn't in the books.

And i'm only mentioning that as I am more sensitive to it than most being in the military. I've seen soldiers commit suicide over this type of thing happening.

Did her husband even want to charge her? If no, the adultery aspect shouldn't be considered. Because the victim is her husband. While he should have some kind of recourse for her breaking her promise, that should depend on him actually wanting to do so. It seems like from Form's link that he didn't even wish to charge her. Making that point moot.

She still slept with her students though. But five years for that? They were high school seniors, 18 years old. The only reason I think this should be illegal is the possibility of, perhaps, using her power as a teacher into forcing them into stuff. The fact that this is possible should illegalize the relationship. But I think five years behind bars is an incredibly high price for a nonviolent offense. Nevermind that its just plain stupid as a waste of our resources. No wonder we have the highest prison population per capita in the world.


Edit: Just to be clear, my position is "I agree with Mobboss and FlyingPig that this should be illegal, I agree with most of everyone else that the punishment is too high."

 

[Patroklos]

This is a flagrant violation of the student teacher relationship. This is something that needs to be maintained and culturally enshrined. The punishment seems a bit harsh 0, but not by much.

The fact that this can happen so often and so many see no or little problem with it is just as informative about the US education system as test scores. Our teaching culture sucks.