A Chronicle of teachers behaving badly, teacher sex scandals, and other indiscretions

Jason Baridon

Jason Baridon, the 34 year old former history and social studies teacher at Mountain View High School in Tucson, Arizona has been sentenced to 3 years of probation after his alleged sexual assault of an 18 year old female student.

It is reported that the girl went to Baridon’s classroom in February of 2008 for tutoring, where allegedly Baridon was flirting with her as well as repeatedly kissing the girls neck, and reached under the girls clothing to touch her breasts.

The girl told her friend, who told her Mother, who told the school, who told the police. During an investigation, police recorded a phone conversation between Baridon and the student during which he apologized and said that “it should have never happened”.

Russel Andrews, the 34 year old former drama and music teacher at Montville High School, in Montville, Connecticut has been arrested and charged with 6 counts of sexual assault.

It is alleged that Andrews had an inappropriate relationship with a student. The students age is  not known. Andrews turned himself in after learning of the charges against him.

During an initial investigation, both Andrews and the student both reportedly denied having any sexual relationship, amid rumors going throughout the school that they were. After the initial accusations, Andrews resigned from the school system and the school board is recommending the revocation of his teaching certificate.

Andrews is being held on a $100,000 bond, and will return to court in hopes to reduce that bond amount on February 26th, 2009.

Thomas Henry

Thomas Henry, a 24 year old para-educator with the South Kitsap High School video production department in Port Orchard, Washington has been arrested and charged with 2 counts of first degree sexual misconduct after being accused of having sex with a 17 year old female student.

After learning of the possible relationship by way of tip from another student, police and investigators questioned Henry, who said that they had sex only after the girl dropped out of the school. The girl was questioned and sung a different song after originally telling investigators that the two agreed not to have sex until she was 18, and that they had only kissed. After getting hit with the truth brick, the girl admitted that she and Henry had had sexual encounters on at least 30 separate occasions between December of 2008 and January 2009, including during time the girl was still a student at the school.

Henry was arrested with a $200,000 default bond, and after seeking a bond reduction to $10,000, the judge set the bond in the amount of $25,000. Henry has been placed on administrative leave by the school and will return to court on April 13th, 2009.

Jared Bays

Jared Bays, a 32 year old girls basketball coach and teacher at Whitehall High School in Whitehall, Michigan has been arrested and charged with 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct. Bays is accused of having a sexual relationship with a female student who was 15 years old at the time of the alleged encounters.

The girl reported the incident recently, alleging that during the course of 8 months in 2007, she and Bays had sex multiple times in his home. The girl was a member of the girls basketball team that Bays coached.

The Whitehall school board has filed tenure charges to begin the process of terminating Bays’ employment. The girl provided testimony which was, at times, incredibly graphic in detail, which helped a judge to determine there was sufficient evidence for Bays to stand trial on the charges.

If convicted Bays could spend up to 15 years in prison.

Anna Margaret Bettencourt

38 year old Anna Margaret Bettencourt, a history teacher at Bliss High School in Bliss, Idaho has been arrested and charged with two counts of sexual battery of a minor after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a 16 year old male student.

Bettencourt is accused of, among aggravated misuse of makeup, having sex on numerous occasions with a 16 year old male student. It is reported that one sexual encounter between Bettencourt and the boy happened on school grounds, in the agriculture shop. Another sexual encounter allegedly happened in the boys pickup truck.

It is reported that, due to an undisclosed conflict of interest, the prosecuting attorney’s office has asked for a special prosecutor to work the case. Both Bettencourt and the boy have apparently admitted to the sexual relationship.

James Ellis

James Ellis, the 57 year old former coach and English teacher at John Marshall High School, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has been sentenced to 476 years in prison, after receiving a 14 year sentence on each of his 34 counts of rape, sodomy, and lewd acts with a child. Per District Judge Tammy Bass-LeSure, the 34 sentences are to be served consecutively. Laughably, and I might even go so far as to say intentionally laughably, Ellis’ attorney asked the judge to consider probation instead.

Ellis was originally arrested in 2007 in connection to the sexual abuse of a 13 year old female student. It is reported that the girl, after Ellis was arrested, would not leave her Mothers side and even requested a bodyguard, because she was terrified of Ellis. The girl started at the school in 2005 and quickly became displaying emotional red flags, which is when the girls mother turned to Ellis, a school advisor, for help. Ellis worked with the girl and eventually became a friend of the family. It is said that Ellis raped the girl in her own home on multiple occasions, knowing that her mother was working late. It is unclear whether any of the sexual encounters were consensual or not, but it is implied that at least some of them were. The sexual relationship between Ellis and the girl ended in 2006.
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Sick bastard of the day, Robert Baker, the Assistant Principal at Cloud Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas has been arrested after being accused of inappropriate sexual contact with a 6 year old female student at the school.

Baker, who has been with the school system for 35 years has been charged with aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Baker was released on a $250,000 bond and has been placed on administrative leave by the school.

Baker was arrested after a 2 week investigation by local authorities which found that Baker touched the girls genitalia, presumably over her clothes, and the girl had visible injuries.

Angel Simmons Lindle

37 year old Angel Simmons Lindle, a 7th grade science teacher at Edgewood Middle School in Ninety Six, South Carolina has been arrested after she was accused of having sex with a 15 year old former male student on multiple occasions.

Lindle has been charged with seven counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Lindle was reportedly on medical leave from the school for several months, and has since been suspended on the news of the charges against her.

Update — 02/23/2009
Lindle has apparently admitted to having seven sexual encounters with a student who has reported the encounters. Lindle’s bond was set at $126,000 and she is reportedly still being held on bond.

Update – 03/05/2009

Lindle has had her bond reduced from $126,000 to a more reasonable $75,000. If Lindle is able to post her bond she will be required to wear an electronic tether and have absolutely no contact with the alleged victim.

Update — 03/13/2009

Lindle has been released on her more reasonable bond of $75,000. She has been suspended from the school system pending the outcome of her court case.

Steven Tadlock

Steven Tadlock, a 25 year old spanish teacher at Bay High School in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi has been arrested and charged with sexual battery on allegations that he had sex with a female student who, at the time, was 17 years old.

Tadlock was arrested and is being held on a $10,000 bond. The alleged sexual intercourse is reported to have happened at Tadlocks home in November 2008.

John Puglisi

29 year old John Puglisi, a former social studies teacher and coach of both the boys basketball and girls basketball teams at Newark Valley High School in Newark Valley, New York was accused of exchanging sexually explicit picture and text messages with a female student. Puglisi was indicted on charges of production and possession of child pornography and enticing a minor to engage in sexual conduct.

Puglisi also faces state charges of rape and endangering the welfare of a child. Puglisi is accused of having sex with a 16 year old female student on multiple occasions at his home. It is alleged that Puglisi at one time also forged a note to get the girl out of school so that they could have sex at his home.

Puglisi was denied bond on his state charges and remains in county jail awaiting his federal trial which is set to begin April 20th 2009. The federal case could send him to prison for 10 years to life.