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 TAMPA----In stark contrast to the New York teacher who was sentenced Monday to serve six months in jail for having sex with an underaged student, Florida teacher Debra Lafave has avoided jail time and will instead serve three years of house arrest followed by seven years of probation.
Lafave, 25, a teacher at the Greco Middle School in Tampa was accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Police claimed that she had performed oral sex with the boy in June, 2004 and 11 days later, had sexual relations with him in a portable classroom on school grounds. The boy reportedly told police that they also had sex at Lafave's townhouse and once in her car while his 15-year-old cousin drove them around. She was arrested on June 21, 2004.
She pleaded Tuesday guilty to two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery. If convicted at trial, she could have faced up to 30 years in prison.
The plea deal came less than two weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin Dec. 5 in Hillsborough County Court and her attorney had indicated that he was going to present an insanity defense. She told the court that she accepted full responsibility for her actions.
Her teaching certificate will be revoked by the Florida Department of Education and she will be required to register as a sex offender. She cannot have any contact with children and is forbidden from profiting from selling her story or from personal appearances. She must also complete a sex offender treatment program.
The prosecution said that the victim's family had wanted the case resolved because of media coverage which gave the case international attention.
LaFave, a newlywed at the time of her arrest, is now divorced. 11-22-05
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
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