Brianne Altice, a former high school teacher, had sex with three under-aged male students at Davis High School in Utah where she taught. Now, after pleading guilty to sexually abusing the students , she faces up to 30-years in jail. She was free on bail until January, when she was sent to jail because it was discovered that she continued a sexual relationship with one of the boys while on bail. One of the boys was 16 and two were 17-years-old when she had sex with them. At her sentencing hearing on Thursday, she pled for leniency, indicating that she learned her lesson, and stated the following according to METRO.
“I’ve learned lessons beyond what you can imagine.”
Altice’s attorney, Ed Brass, stated that the former teacher has self-esteem problems and was belittled at home. He indicated that Altice is a “damaged person” who gave into the flirtation of teenage boys , and that she was no longer the boys’ teacher when the sexual relationship occurred. The Daily Mail said that Altice stated the following.
“I am human and I messed up during a very vulnerable time in my life.”
Altice had been fired after the allegations had come to light. Her husband also filed for divorce and custody of their child.
Obviously, teachers, despite personal problems, cannot molest juveniles in their care. Prosecutors stated that the boys hung out in her classroom and the relationships eventually turned sexual. One of the boys considered her to be his girlfriend in their relationship, which lasted a year. The mother of one of the boys stood up for her son, noting that he was damaged by Altice.
“You hurt my son in ways that you will never know. You hurt all of those boys.”
In April, she pleaded guilty to three counts of forcible sexual abuse. Altice also pleaded with the judge in a handwritten note not to send her to prison, stating that she is harmless and wouldn’t repeat her offenses. Judge Thomas Kay sternly indicated that, as the teacher, she could have prevented the sexual relationships from occurring. According to METRO, the judge stated the following to her, “I don’t know if you are taking responsibility. I also wonder if you’re in denial about what you’ve done?”
Parents of two of the boys filed suit against the school district, one was later withdrawn and the other is still pending. Altice was first arrested in October of 2013 when one student came forward. Two other students then also came forward, describing evidence to detectives such as the layout of the teacher’s house and tattoos on her body.
Brass says that his client denies any romantic or inappropriate relationship with students, but that she pled guilty to avoid an uncertain outcome at trial.
Teachers hold positions of trust and are rightly held to a high standard of behavior. Michael Evan Morse, 26, also faces charges that he had inappropriate contact with a teenage student. He previously worked as an audio visual technician at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in Pennsylvania. He also held a position as a stage manager for extracurricular activities, according to an article in the Inquisitr.
[Photo Courtesy Davis County Jail]