A former teacher of the year who was accused of having sex with a 12-year-old boy told a Florida court that she sent him pornographic text messages as "sexual therapy" to motivate him to be a better student.
"That was my purpose, to gain his attention. And yes, I did it in an inappropriate way," Ethel Anderson, who was 29 at the time the abuse began, said in court Tuesday.
According to Bay News 9, prosecutors obtained more than 230 pages of sexually explicit text messages between the teacher and student.
It was reported s that Anderson was found guilty on Wednesday of molestation, battery, and sex with the 12-year-old student.
Previously:
Anderson, a former teacher of the year at Mango Elementary School in Seffner, Fla., faces nine felony counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. Although she admitted sending the texts, she denied any contact occurred, and claimed the victim threatened to turn her in.
Anderson, a former teacher of the year at Mango Elementary School in Seffner, Fla., faces nine felony counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. Although she admitted sending the texts, she denied any contact occurred, and claimed the victim threatened to turn her in.
The victim, now 14, also testified about the alleged abuse on Tuesday.
"We sat on the couch and we started doing sexual stuff. At first I told her to stop... she was rubbing on my leg, but then it just led to more," the victim told the court, according to ABC Tampa Bay. "She would say she wanted me so bad and she wanted me to go farther [sic]...I just did not want to lose my virginity to a teacher."
WTSP reports that the abuse occurred during math tutoring sessions at Anderson's home between December 2011 and February 2012.
In testimony, the victim told the court that at the time, he thought he was "living a guy's dream... [of] dating a teacher," but that he didn't tell anyone because he "knew she'd get in trouble," according to Bay News 9.
Detectives arrested Anderson in February 2012 following an investigation. According to a separate WTSP report, police began an investigation of Anderson after the victim's mother approached police concerned that her son was having a sexual relationship with his tutor.
Closing arguments in the case are scheduled for Wednesday. If convicted, Anderson faces up to 30 years in prison.
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