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Brianne Altice Sentenced To 2 To 30 Years In Student Sex Case

14:38

FARMINGTON, Utah (AP) -- A judge sentenced a former high school English teacher who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing three male students to at least two and up to 30 years in prison Thursday.

Prosecutors say one of the boys was 16 and two were 17 when Brianne Altice had sex with them. The 36-year-old Altice was initially free while her case played out, but was sent to jail in January after allegations emerged that she continued a sexual relationship with one of the boys while she was out on bail.

Altice cried as she pleaded guilty to three counts of forcible sexual abuse in April. Each count carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Altice sent a handwritten letter to Judge Thomas Kay last month asking him not to send her to prison. She said she's harmless, and promised she wouldn't repeat the crime.

Prosecutors say she befriended the boys, allowing them to hang out in her classroom, and the relationships later turned sexual. One victim testified the relationship began with kissing between class periods and eventually led to intercourse. Another said he considered her to be his girlfriend during their yearlong sexual relationship.

She was fired shortly after the allegations came to light, and her husband filed for divorce and custody of their child.

Her lawyer Ed Brass said she was no longer the boys' teacher when the sex occurred. He later said she took the plea deal to avoid an uncertain outcome at trial.

Parents of two boys sued the school district, saying that officials knew that Altice was behaving inappropriately but didn't do enough to stop her. They alleged in court papers that the running joke at the high school was, "Who is Ms. Altice sleeping with now?"

One lawsuit was withdrawn after state attorneys said schools aren't responsible for injuries arising from assaults. The other is still pending.

Altice was first arrested in October 2013 after a student reported having a relationship with her, and two more victims later came forward with similar allegations.

She was hired by the Davis County School District in 2004 and had been teaching at the high school since August 2012.

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