.Teacher to serve 30 years in jail
A Texas middle school teacher who was impregnated by a 13-year-old student could face up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Alexandria Vera, who was arrested in June, told police that she fell in love with one of her students after the two began a relationship through Instagram messages. The 24-year-old former eighth-grade English teacher at Stovall Middle School in Houston also said that the boy’s family was supportive of the affair.
Vera, who pleaded guilty on Wednesday, was initially charged with continuous sexual assault of a child, which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison. By pleading guilty to a lesser charge, her sentence was capped at 30 years, according to the Houston Chronicle.
She also is eligible for deferred adjudication, in which case she will be placed on probation and will have no felony on her record if she successfully completes the terms, the Houston Chronicle reported.
“We’re very much hoping for deferred adjudication,” Vera’s attorney, Ricardo Rodriguez, said, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Vera told police that she met the boy during summer school in 2015. She said she initially resisted the boy’s advances until sometime last fall, when she agreed to hang out with her student.