Teacher Smackdown

In Grand Junction, Colorado, teacher Gretchen Blackford confessed to police that she stole at least $15,000 from the parent-teacher organization. She was the president of the Parent Teacher Council at Thunder Mountain Elementary School. Blackford teaches fifth grade at Rocky Mountain Elementary in Clifton, Colorado.

She said she used the money for her personal use. However, police say that it may take up to two months to determine how much money Blackford stole and when. She will not be arrested until the investigation is complete.

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In Denver, Gary Wade, 57, was charged with sexual assault on a child by a person in position of trust. Police believe that there may be more than one victim.

Wade worked as a teacher’s aide at Steele Elementary School, a preschool through fifth grade program. When it came to the faculty’s attention that he had done something inappropriate with a student, they contacted the Denver Public Schools Safety and Security Department. They in turn contacted police.

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In Denver, Colorado Meredith Hollen, 40, faces two counts of sex assault on a child and one count of sex assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. She teaches at Graland Country Day School, an exclusive prep school for kindergarten through ninth grade.

Police report that Hollen did not been teach at the school this year and that the alleged assault happened before this school year. However, they were only recently notified of the abuse.

I wonder why? Did the school try to hide it? Or more likely, the parents did not go to the authorities until recently and maybe only at the urging of the school, a lawyer, or a medical professional.

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Last week the Denver Post wrote about Frank James Gutierrez,62, who sexually assaulted a nine-year-old boy he was babysitting. Even though Gutierrez was listed in Colorado’s Sex Offender registry and featured on the Longmont Police Department’s Sex Offender website, the boy’s mother never thought of checking into his background.

If she had she would have known that Gutierrez has a felony for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in San Diego 1990. Police found out he was accused of molesting other children as well.

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Paul Jesse Arriola, 31, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for sexual assault by a person in a position of trust. His victim was nine years old.

Arriola was the child care director of the Panther’s Den Child Care program at Eldorado Elementary School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. He was fired by the school a month after school security staff reported a possible incident involving the boy.

Arriola is also required to be on sex offender list and be monitored for at least 20 years.

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childcare director, Paul Jesse Arriola, sexual assault, child abuse, sex offender, sexual abuse

UPDATE: While Carrie McCandless must register as a sex offender for her sexual liaison with then 17-year-old student, Tommy Clay, she’s only getting 45 days in prison and five years probation. She also has to register as a sex offender for 10 years. McCandless got these charges in exchange for the plea that a charge of sexual assault on a child by a person in position of trust was dismissed.

She has a two-year deferred sentence for tampering with evidence in exchange for the plea, and a charge of violating the conditions of her bail was dismissed. McCandless also has a four-year deferred sentence of contributing to the deliquency of a minor (a misdemeanor). This means that if she stays out of trouble, the charge will be dismissed.

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Boy is this causing a lot of flap out here in Colorado. The Conifer High School Yearbook contains pictures depicted drug and alcohol use.

There are two pages under the heading “Health - addicted to addictions” containing photos and text about alcohol, cigarettes and prescription drugs, along with photos of students smoking pot and using a bong. Another page shows police officers “busting our parties” and refers to law enforcement as “a necessary evil.” Under “Regrets and Mistakes,” three girls are shown holding up a citation for minor in possession of alcohol.

Parents are pissed. Families offended by photos and text can get their money back or have their copies treated. If it was me, I’d clip and print out stories about the incident, put it in a manilla envelope, and tape it to the yearbook. That way my student can look back and see teachers, like advisor Amy McTague, do really dumb things.

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In Lakewood, Colorado, teacher’s aide April T. Robertson, 32, was arrested on three charges of felony sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

A 15-year-old male student at Sobesky Academy, a day treatment program for special education students, told his family about the sexual contact. His parents informed the school of the sexual assault that allegedly occurred in December after the boy and Robertson met at a Denver area shopping mall. They left the mall in Robertson’s car and went to a nearby park to make out.

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In Fort Collins, Colorado, Robert Snyder, 51, will spend the next two years in the county jail for performing oral sex on two male students and inappropriately touching them and another student. One of the victims was 11 and two were 13.

Snyder pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a child and unlawful sexual contact to avoid going to trial on multiple sex assault charges that could have put him in prison for life.

Snyder is a world-renowned chess player, coach and author of Chess for Juniors: A Complete Guide for the Beginner.He taught chess to children ages five to 17 at his home in Fort Collins, and frequently accompanied students to chess tournaments across the country. Snyder also taught online classes (his website chessforjuniors.com has been taken down) and at schools in Longmont, Loveland, Boulder, Hygiene, and Denver.

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Police declined to file charges against two Copper Mountain ski area daycare workers after they determined that child abuse involving sexually explicit photographs were unfounded. The photographs weren’t sexually suggestive or taken for sexual gratification.

The workers at the Pumpkin Patch Day Care Center took photos of a naked infant’s bottom, another baby flipping the bird, and a baby pretending to smoke a cigarette.

Bottom line - acting stupid does not amount to criminal behavior.

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The Pumpkin Patch Day Care Center, an employee child care center at the Copper Mountain ski resort in Colorado, was temporarily closed to investigate allegations of the staff photographing babies in sexual poses.

Authorities are trying to figure out if the pictures were Photoshopped or if the babies were posed. The staff admitted to taking photographs of two babies fighting - which they emailed to others - and a naked baby in a sexually suggestive pose. Photographs include pictures of a baby shooting the bird, a cigarette in an infant’s mouth, and a baby bent forward to show his tush.

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Carrie McCandless, the former Brighton High School teacher, who had a sexual relationship with then 17-year-old, Tommy Clay was freed after a weekend in jail.

Officials say she phoned the Tommy Clay just minutes after a January 22 court hearing. Her original bond stipulated she have no contact with him.

Carrie’s attorney, Trent Trani, says she did not call Clay. Instead, he blames pranksters and the publicity surrounding the case, which has sparked several postings on websites. Oh, it’s the blogosphere’s fault, hmmmmm.

However, Prosecutor Mike Pearson said in court that Tommy Clay no trouble recognizing Carrie McCandless’ voice.

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Carrie McCandless, Brighton High School, Tommy Clay, sexual abuse, teacher-student affair

Blame Matt Lauer, but there seems to be an awful lot of stories in the news these days about older women having sex with young boys. The twist on this one? She had a daughter by her teenage victim.

Tani Firkins,32, will be serving six years for having a sexual relatioship with a 14-year-old boy. The teenage was enrolled in the afterschool program at the Good Neighbor Community Services Center, a Denver daycare center where she lived and worked. Prosecutors say the teen was assaulted between 50 and 100 times.

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Carla Shinners, 63, a a substitute teacher at Creekside Elementary School in Boulder, Colo. hit a fifth grader in the head with a viola bow and pulled her hair.

Students - who nicknamed her “Mrs. Grumpy Lady” - also say the teacher used profanity when her class was interrupted with a phone call:

“These bastards are interrupting my class. I’m going to answer the phone and tell these fuckers to shut up.”

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UPDATE
Tommy Clay, 18, the student who had a sexual relationship with Brighton Charter High School teacher Carrie McCandless, appeared this morning on NBC’s The Today Show. You can see Matt Lauer interviewing the Clay family on MSNBC’s website.

The family’s attorney said the family went on the program as a part of the student’s healing process and to show how damaging the relationship of an older woman and a young boy was to Tommy, then 17. They also wanted to expose how Brighton Charter High School’s administors tried to cover up the sexual relationship.

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