Prison teacher's aide charged with sexual activity with inmates

A teacher's assistant who had 6 years on the job at a New Jersey prison for sex offenders was charged with 5 counts of sexual assault, official misconduct, and drug distribution.  Joy R. Black, 32 of Irvington, NJ was charged with incidents at the East Jersey State Prison in Avenel, NJ which occured between November 2009 and June 2010, according to investigation. Black allegedly had sex with 5 inmates in prison classrooms and smuggled marijuana and cocaine inside the prison for use by two of those inmates.

Black has worked at the prison in the Avenel section of Woodbridge since June 12, 2004. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Sgt. Randi Colatrella or Investigator Melissa Terpanick of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at (732) 745-3600, or senior investigators Chris Birardi or Kevin Koch of the Special Investigations Unit of the prison at (732) 499-5003.Woodbridge police assisted in the investigation.

Black was arrested at the prison June 30, 2010 and is currently facing a decade in prison, sex offender registration for life, and a lifetime ban on New Jersey public employment. She is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick.

Second female teacher in as many months charged with child seduction at Indianapolis high school

(Original Post 2-18-10)

For the second time in two months, a female employee at Indianapolis' Pike High School was charged with child seduction, a Class D felony. After school officials contacted Indianapolis police and after questioning the night of February 17, 40 year old Taine Abdullah was charged with an illegal sexual relationship with a 17 year old special needs student today.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Abdullah was an instructional assistant who tutored the boy after he returned to school in January. Police said that in one of three encounters, Abdullah performed oral sex on the boy and then texted him about the encounter, later asking him to delete the text because she could get in trouble for what she had done.

Investigators said that in a Feb. 5 incident, the boy skipped school and stayed at Abdullah's house, where they fondled each other.

"She admitted that she knew what she had done was wrong," according to the affadavit. Lieutenant Jeffery Duhamell stated why Abdullah was charged with child seduction when Indiana's AOC is normally 16. "She's a person of trust and he's a student, and that's supposedly how they met, and, basically, that crosses the line and becomes a criminal act."

Abdullah, who has worked as a teacher's aide at Pike High, has been removed from the classroom, according to officials. She's being held on $30,000 bond. Besides Abdullah, former coach Sara Strahm has been charged with the same crime for a relationship with a player on her girls' basketball team.

(Update 2-24-10) Abdullah pled not guilty at her arraignment yesterday. Her bond was reduced to $500, allowing her to be placed on house arrest until trial. Her attorney, Jack Crawford, described the conditions of house arrest.

"The judge was very firm. She cannot have any contact - she cannot even pick her daughter up at school or drop her off at school. She's gonna have to make different arrangements while this case is pending and that's understandable. The charges are serious. They involve young people, so while these charges are going on, she must avoid young people."

The reason Abdullah can't pick up or drop off her daughter is because she was fired from Pike High and barred from going onto the premises. She still has supporters from her church.

"She needs all the support she can get," said Anthony Chapman, a church member. "I'm not discounting the fact that she's made a mistake. But at these times it's important to have support of your church family."

Her church members have a message for the student and his family involved in this case. They're hoping the student's family can look past the alleged conduct.

"Hopefully they can find it in their heart to forgive. Its about forgiveness and reconciliation and in America you have a lot of high profile cases and celebrities who make mistakes as well as common people," said Chapman.

Abdullah faces 1 to 3 years in prison if convicted as charged.

Ex teacher's aide sentenced to five years for "relationship" with 16 year old

Former Burlington County Special Services teacher's aide Donna Goebel was sentenced to 5 years in prison and lifetime parole  for starting a relationship with a 16 year old student. This sentence was handed down on Monday by Superior Court Judge James Morley and split the difference between the 7 years requested by Burlington County prosecutors and 3 years requested by the defense.

On July 17, Goebel was convicted of a count of sexual assault involving the student who attended class where she was a teacher's aide last year. This "relationship" started while she was still married, but in an unhapy relationship with her husband.

 "It's possible she just wanted to be around someone who was nice to her and got caught up in something she shouldn't have," Judge Morley said, adding she used her position to get close to him whether she originally intended to or not.

Judge Morley also opined "But for the defendant's status, there would be no crime here (because) the relationship was entirely consensual." Pennsylvania's AOC is usually 16, but rises to 18 when the adult is in a position of trust.

In a letter to the judge, Goebel's older daughter, Jennifer, said her mother was in a "poisonous destructive relationship" with her father that made her mother do uncharacteristic things. "She is a loving mother and constantly made sacrifices for me . . . She is not the woman portrayed in the newspapers," the college student wrote.

Goebel is currently divorced and is in the process of remarrying.

Teacher's aide caught in hotel party with boys sentenced to 3 to 6 years in prison

(Original post 4-24-08)

Abbie Jane Swogger, 34, of Harrison, an ex-teacher’s aide and stripper who was charged for holding a sex, drugs, and drinking party at a New Kensington, PA hotel February 21st and 22nd, was charged with more crimes for more sexual encounters involving minors.

Swogger faces 33 additional charges, including stripping for three men and three boys January 16 in the residence of a 15 year old Natrona, PA boy. Police claimed that Swogger allowed the men and boys to touch her inappropriately, and that weed was used in the party. Swogger also allegedly performed a sex act on a 15 year old boy in February 2 while a man watched after the striptease incident.

A third incident, where a 17 year old boy from Harrison, PA, admitted to starting a sexual relationship with Swogger for a few weeks starting in January, was also mentioned in a criminal complaint.

Photos, taken with a cell phone camera, surfaced on the Internet in the days after Swogger's arrest.

If the Pennsylvania AOC is 16, and the “victims” were not encountered during Swogger’s employment as a teacher’s aide, then sexual activity with over 16’s isn’t illegal. Immoral, yes, but not illegal.

She is accused of having sex with the boy in her rented house in Natrona Heights and "on numerous occasions" gave him alcohol and marijuana.

When confronted with that by New Kensington police, Swogger allegedly asked police, "How serious is that?"

Swogger was charged with numerous counts relating to a party with teens that she had in a hotel room last February 22. She faced charges of corruption of minors, possession with intent to deliver cocaine, and trying to get two 15 year old girls to have sex with her.

A 17-year-old male and an adult witness told investigators that Ms. Swogger drove them to a house in Arnold and gave another juvenile $500 to purchase crack cocaine, which they took to the hotel. The 17-year-old also told police that he witnessed Ms. Swogger sell smaller portions of the crack to two adults -- one a $20 transaction, the other for $100.

When they initially searched the hotel room, police found two bags containing different amounts of crack. They also found a digital scale and a box of baggies. One of the two 15-year-old girls who was in the hotel room told investigators that Ms. Swogger had rubbed her leg and attempted to touch her breasts. Then, she said, Ms. Swogger told her that the two of them and the other 15-year-old girl should all have sex together, but the girls refused.

As a result, Ms. Swogger faces additional charges of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Ms. Swogger had admitted having sex with the 17-year-old male, and police found numerous discarded condom wrappers in the room. On Feb. 28 after Swogger's arrest, she allegedly left her house and asked two girls to give a cell phone to one of the youths from the hotel party. Her bond was revoked for leaving her house without authorization.

She also allegedly offered to give two girls $40 to beat up another girl who allegedly posted one of Swogger's nude photos on the Web. Besides the charges from the hotel party, Swogger was charged with unlawful contact with minors, corrupting the morals of minors, and soliciting sex from two teenage girls. Duke George, her attorney, called the new charges "even more ridiculous than the previous ones."

Prosecutors from Westmoreland and Allegheny counties have agreed to combine all of the charges into one case to be prosecuted in Allegheny County.

District Judge Carolyn Bengel is scheduled to preside over Swogger’s preliminary hearing, scheduled for May 1.

Swogger remains in the Westmoreland County jail.

(Update 5-2-08) All of Swogger's charges will be consolidated into three cases and heard in Allegheny County. The former teacher's aide and stripper is being held on $150,000 bond and her preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 15 before District Judge Carolyn S. Bengel.

(Update 5-15-08) Swogger had her preliminary hearing today, and she's being held on about 40 charges. Some of the boys testified about sexual and drug-laced encounters, charges that Swogger said were lies.

"I thought it was outrageous. They're lying to save their own butts from getting in trouble for the things that they've done."

All told, Swogger is charged with involuntary sexual deviate intercourse, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, furnishing liquor to minors, unlawful contact with minors and possession with intent to deliver.

One of the January incidents is described by local police like so:

"Swogger danced for a period of time before stripping off the outfit and appearing in the nude. During the performance, all of the males present were permitted by Swogger to touch her nude body including but not limited to her breasts and genital areas. Swogger posed nude in various positions while being photographed by the participants. One of these photographs depicts her sitting nude on a couch with six of the victims. While at this party, the participants consumed the provided alcohol and were exposed to or ingested marijuana."

Defense attorney Duke George said the sex charges are even more ridiculous than those filed for the alleged party at the hotel.

Swogger is being held on $150,000 bond, an amount her attorney said Swogger cannot raise.

(Update 5-26-09) This morning, Swogger changed her plea to guilty as a bench (non jury) trial was scheduled to start in her case. She pleaded guilty to 11 charges involving a 15 year old victim in her case. 17 more charges were dropped. Her total sentence is 3 to 6 years in a Pennsylvania prison, followed by 36 years of probation. Conditions of her probation include registering as a sex offender for the rest of her life, undergoing substance abuse treatment, and having no contact with the victim in her case.

“I want to say I’m very sorry for hurting anyone. I’m sorry for not being the role model I should have been. I’m very, very sorry," Swogger said during the hearing turned sentencing.

Assistant District Attorney Laura Ditka stated that the plea was done, because in her own words, "I wanted to make sure she was not working with children anytime in the near future. These charges should preclude her from working with children for the entire time of her life. She doesn’t have good judgment when she has access to minors.”

Connecticut teacher's aide sentenced to 9 months in prison for molesting 18 year old

Former New Britain High School paraprofessional Theodore Morris was sentenced to 5 years in prison, suspended after 9 months, after pleading guilty to 1st degree unlawful restraint. The charge and conviction stem from inappropriate touching and photography of a then 18 year old student on school grounds.

The victim, who attended the sentencing but did not speak on her behalf, graduated from a different high school, and her family is planning to sue the New Britain Board of Education in the next few months. Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Debra Collins read the victim impact statement, which read in part,

“My trust against people has been limited and my self-esteem has lowered a lot. There were times I didn’t want to look in the mirror because I was so disgusted with everything.”

Morris’ attorney Martin Rizzi argued that an expert from the Institute of Living determined his client wasn’t wholly responsible because he was improperly trained by the school system on how to deal with students. However Collins said she believed in a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to inappropriate behavior on the part of school staff.

“There should be no touching between a teacher and a student and there should be no requirement of that being taught that,” said Collins, who has previously prosecuted cases involving illicit teacher and student relationships.

New Britain Superior Court Judge Joan K. Alexander ordered the 53 year old Morris to undergo 5 years of sex offender probation, which requires that Morris stay well away from places that children congregate, including schools. Judge Alexander did not require a listing on the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry.