Student-Sex Teacher Gets 5 Years
Former Brevard Co. Middle School Teacher Caught In Van With Boy
POSTED: Thursday, July 9, 2009
UPDATED: 7:07 pm EDT July 9,
2009
  |
TITUSVILLE, Fla. -- A former Brevard County middle school teacher who pleaded guilty to having sex with a student was sentenced to five years in jail Thursday morning in Titusville.
VIDEO: Florence Sentenced | Click "Related" Tab Above For More
Former Jackson Middle School teacher Janet Lea Florence, 34, cried and was led from the courtroom in handcuffs after Circuit Judge Jack Griesbaum rendered the sentence. She faced one to six years in prison at her sentencing at the Titusville Historic Courthouse.During the sentencing, Florence apologized to the family of the boy she admitted to having sex with."I just want to apologize to everybody whose life I negatively affected by my actions. I know there's nothing I can do to change the past," Florence said.Florence said she hopes to return home to her four children after she serves her time in prison.The boy's family said they are devastated by the incident and their son has been damaged."We don't trust school staffing anymore," the boy's mother said."My son was a happy child. In the past two years, he has quit school, started to smoke cigarettes, drink…tattooed his body," the boy's father said.Florence -- named in court documents as Janet Lea Hughes -- was recently divorced and reverted to her maiden name, according to court records obtained by Local 6 News partner Florida Today.Florence was arrested in April 2007 after authorities said undercover police officers meeting at a Titusville church to discuss an unrelated case caught Florence, then 32, and a 16-year-old boy lying on a blanket in a van parked outside the building.Officers determined that the two were about to have sex, and authorities said the two admitted to previously having sex.Florence would have faced up to 45 years in prison if she had been convicted at trial on one count each of sexual battery and attempted sexual battery on a child.Florence struck a plea bargain on the charges in May and has been free, pending sentencing.She will be labeled as a sexual predator for the rest of her life under the terms of the deal, which also stipulates 10 years of probation, during which she must wear a GPS-monitoring bracelet.She won't be allowed near schools or parks and will have to register her address with police four times a year. Copyright 2009 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and ClickOrlando.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
The views expressed are not those of clickorlando.com, WKMG or its affiliated companies. This is a community moderated forum. (Please note the 'Like' and 'Report' tabs.) By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms of Use.
blog comments powered by Disqus
A man is charged with assisting with an attempted suicide after telling his wife to kill herself during an argument and loading the gun for her, deputies say.
A 27-year-old man remains under observation in a special cell today after being charged in the death of his ex-girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter last week.
Ida is no longer a hurricane as it loses strength over the water on its way to a landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast sometime tomorrow.
Three men have been arrested by Daytona Beach police after a 16-year-old died from stab wounds.
A pedestrian was struck and killed after walking into the path of a vehicle while leaving a Central Florida bar, authorities say.
Local 6 News, led by investigative reporter Mike Holfeld, will host an interactive experience on Monday, including a phone bank and online chat with homeowners association experts. Call 888-436-6665 for the phone bank.
A fight breaks out among players at a high school game in Providence, R.I., that soon spread to fans in the stands.
A Minnesota woman gives birth on-line for her family, friends and the whole world to see.
Monday, Nov. 9, 2009.
Students in Geneva make "green" Christmas ornaments.
The 13 people killed when an Army psychiatrist allegedly opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, included a pregnant woman who was preparing to return home, a man who quit a furniture company job to join the military about a year ago, a newlywed who had served in Iraq and a woman who had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Here is a look at some of the victims.
Top-dollar designs don't always provide a good return for the rich and famous. Check out which celebs were caught in fashion flops.
Hundreds of photos in the Casey Anthony case are released.
Check out these lookers who ran into the law.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
