(Original Post 11-16-08)
A female private school teacher is accused of having a sexual relationship with an 18 year old studnet, and a second suspected relationship with a 17 year old. Julianna Sauls, a married 38 year old algebra teacher at Azle Christian School in Azle, TX, is facing a charge of improper relationship between teacher and student.
The 18 year old alleged victim and his father stated the sexual contact began at schol in September, when Sauls began to grope him both under and over his clothes, and forced him to touch her breast and make out with him before she would let him leave her classroom. All of these incidents occurred in isolation.
[The victim] showed investigators a pink note with Sauls’ home address and phone number, which he said the married mother of two had given him "so he could come to her home and have sex with her while her children were asleep," the affidavit states.
After setting up a meeting with Sauls in the parking lot of Azle High, where she agreed not to try anything sexual, a "normal" conversation turned into Sauls complaning about sexual inadequacies with her husband, and led to her performing oral sex with the 18 year old. The victim wanted to stop seeing Sauls because she was his teacher, and wasn't attractive to him.
"After the first few seconds of what was going on, he regained his composure enough to realize this was not proper," Azle Police Chief Steve Myers said.
"Prior to him leaving, [Sauls] told the victim to 'trust her’ and that all the other boys trusted her," the affidavit stated, leading investigators to believe that other students may have been involved.
After that incident, Sauls pulled down her lower hip to show a tattoo, and they both went to a Ft. Worth tattoo shop to get matching tattoos. Sauls also called and texted the victim, and sent an e-mail "which showed that she wanted to talk to the victim, was thinking about him and gave him instructions to delete her telephone number after they talk on the phone." A police investigation started October 28, and Sauls was arrested Wednesday, but released on bail. Sauls was dismissed from her job due to "lack of work," and faces both Tarrant and Parker County charges.
Normally, the age of consent in Texas is 17, but a 2003 law states teachers cannot have consensual relationships with high school students.
While police were interviewing other students about the teacher, a 17-year-old student disclosed that Sauls had also had sexual contact with him in recent months outside his residence in unincorporated Parker County, Azle authorities said.
"My understanding is it occurred in the student’s driveway late one night," Azle police Lt. Lee Blaisdell said. "I believe the student’s mother pulled in the driveway and found the teacher parked in the driveway with her son. At the time, they were denying that anything had happened."
Azle police gave the 17-year-old’s statement to Parker County sheriff’s officials, who are now investigating that case and another incident involving the 18-year-old student that may have occurred in their jurisdiction.
"I know there’s more victims out there but they’re not coming forward out of fear, retaliation and embarrassment," Azle police Detective Richard Martinez said. "I wish they would come forward. They’re the victims. They didn’t do anything wrong."
Sauls' teaching certificate is valid through September 2013, according to records, and Martinez chided those who saw no harm in an 18 year old with his teacher, stating that "the point is parents pay good money to send their child to get a good education. They didn’t send their child to be a victim and be assaulted."
(Update 12-7-08) Sauls was formally charged with two more counts of the same crime regarding both the 17 year and 18 year old victims in Parker County. She was released on $60,000 bail December 3.
(Update 6-9-09) After a plea deal, Sauls was sentenced to 6 months in jail and a 9 1/2 month suspended sentence for 2 counts of improper relationship between an educator and a student. 43rd District Judge Don Chrestman imposed the sentence. According to Parker County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Swain, other punishment includes 10 years of probation, 400 hours of community service, a $4000 fine, sex offender treatment, and a ban from all junior high and high school aged youths, including the victims.
District Judge Sharen Wilson also sentenced Sauls in Tarrant County to 5 years probation, 240 hours of community service, 6 months in jail, to be served after release from prison in the Parker County case, and a mental health evaluation. The victim involved in the Tarrant county case is one of the victims in the Parker County indictments.
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2 comments:
My son was a student of this teacher. This was the first year she was teaching at our school. At first she seemed like a "cool" teacher, one whom all the HS students could "relate" to and visit with, be friendly with.
After several weeks, I began to hear rumblings that she wasn't teaching her class...she was just hanging out with the kids. They played music and told jokes..she was called into the Administrator's office several times, and admonished. My son told me that she would return to the class room upset, then laugh, and insult the Admin. and what he had told her.
I am VERY upset about this; my son was NOT one of her victims, but his friends were.
This is a small but growing school in a small town; people here tend to blame the messenger for the message...
My kiddos have attended this ACS for 3 years, are freshmen in HS and fully intend on graduating from THIS wonderful school.
One mentally unbalanced person does not reflect on the school or its personnel.
In fact, we have to offer prayers for this woman and her family. Her two precious children are well known to me, and they are bewildered. Their mother has brought all kinds of grief down on her family.
The young man in question is 18, but emotionally much younger. He is a kid, a kid who was scared witless by an authority figure old enough to be his mother.
I will be happy to converse with anyone about this sad and sorry topic.
I would love to talk to you about this subject using the contact info found at the right.
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