By Roberto Bustamante
May 18, 2024, 1:49 PM EDT
A 33-year-old former teacher will spend more than a decade in federal prison for having sexual relations with a minor between 20 and 30 times.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas announced that a judge sentenced Heather Hare to 13 years in prison for transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of illegal sexual activity, as well as life on supervised release.
According to prosecutors, Hare, who pleaded guilty to the charge last January, taught family consumer science classes at Bryant High School, and he met the minor victim when he was a senior.
She began giving him individual counseling sessions. The teacher reportedly gave the 17-year-old boy her personal number and communicated with him through Instagram and Snapchat.
Once in contact, Hare told the minor that “he dreamed that they were having sex” and gave him his address. They had sexual relations between 20 and 30 times during the 2021-2022 school year.
They had sex in the classroom
The accused and the young man allegedly had sexual relations in the teacher’s house, in her car and even in her classroomas well as in the high school parking lot.
In April 2022, prosecutors said Hare had sexual relations with the minor while accompanying him on a field trip to Washington, D.C., as part of his classes. The victim was reportedly the only man on the excursion, which included several students.
“The FBI takes crimes against children very seriously”said Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Today’s sentencing shows that the federal government will continually work to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals who abuse their position of trust and authority to exploit children in our community,” he added.
Keep reading:
– Texas teacher accused of sexual abuse sent money and intimate photos to young student.
– South Carolina teacher is accused of sexual acts with a student in a parking lot.