Fmr. teacher gets 4 years for sex charges

BLUFFTON, Ind. (WANE) - A former teacher at Bluffton High School admitted to having a sexual relationship with a child younger than 16.

According to the Wells County Circuit Court, Tracey Pace, 37, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor and one count of Dissemination of Material Harmful to a Minor.

Under the plea agreement, Pace will be sentenced to four years in prison with two years suspended.

She will also serve four years probation.
 

Both are felonies and happened back in 2007, before she was a teacher at the High School.

The original charges of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor a Dissemination of Material Harmful to a Minor said that between February 1 and March 19, 2007, Pace was involved in deviate sexual conduct with a child between the ages of 14 and 16; between January 1 and January 31, 2007 Pace performed or submitted to fondling or touching with the intent to arouse or satisfy sexual desires of the child or herself; and between January 1 and February 28, 2007, Pace knowingly dispersed matter with pornographic photographs harmful to minors.

According to the Bluffton-Harrison Superintendent, Wayne Barker, Pace was hired as a culinary arts teacher on May 27, 2008. The acts Pace is accused of occurred prior to her being employed as a teacher for Bluffton-Harrison and these allegations do not involve current or former students of Bluffton-Harrison Schools.

Barker said the school district did not know about these acts when it hired Pace.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Pace will be sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended sentence.

She will also be under probation for four years.