Updated at 3:30p for clarity; Updated at 9p to offer additional attribution.
In a case that involved a former teacher having sex with a student, a Kenosha judge Tuesday rejected recommendations of probation from both the defense and prosecution and instead imposed a prison sentence of three years.
42 year-old Douglas Richmond had previously pleaded no contest to a single charge of sexual assault of a student by school staff. Richmond, who once taught physics at Tremper High School, reportedly had sex on multiple occasions with a student that began when the girl was a 17 year-old senior in 2009. The matter came to the attention of authorities last year.
Richmond reportedly told a pre-sentence investigator from the state corrections department that he maintained the relationship for as long as he did because he was fearful that the girl would report it.
Richmond was married at the time.
Although the assistant district attorney handling the case recommended probation, Judge Jodi Meier said a sentence that would include no incarceration would unduly depreciate the crime. "Hopefully you have learned like you said and you regret like you said," Meier told Richmond. "I do find this behavior was predatory and calculating and you're in need of rehabilitative treatment that can best be received in a confined setting."
Elaborating on the seriousness of the case, Meier said: "It is a flagrant violation of the trust that is given to educators by parents and the community to teach our children in a safe and appropriate manner. You sir have crossed lines that should not even be remotely approached."
Richmond had earlier apologized, saying he had made a "terrible mistake."
Richmond has a similar case pending in Racine County with another victim. A plea hearing is scheduled for the end of the month.
According to information presented at Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Richmond is now employed as a third-shift press operator. Within recent years, Richmond, who has a college degree in worship studies in addition to physics, served as a pastor at Fox River Christian Church.
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