A kindergarten teacher came into court with the hope that Texas Judge Stephanie Boyd would give her a shorter sentence. But according to the judge, her crime was more serious than just stealing. The teacher stole a bracelet from a 5-year-old and then pawned it for money. In reality, the teacher broke the student’s trust while she was supposed to be under her care.
The teacher and her attorney communicated the plea bargain agreement that had capped her punishment at 16 months in a state prison facility. However, they had a plan to convince the judge that she already felt guilty enough after the incident.
The defendant requested a reduced sentence, citing pandemic-related financial hardships and a disabled husband. Her daughter supported the plea, testifying in court to her mother’s strong work ethic and history of balancing multiple jobs.
Despite an emotional request, the judge noted, “All right, she’s 5 years old. You’re an adult, and she’s saying that she wants her bracelet back, and you’re just telling her you’re not giving it back to her. I don’t understand at what point in your mind you would have been thinking maybe you would have been like, ‘Oh my gosh, I really need to return this bracelet to her.’”
Boyd also noted that this wasn’t her first offense, as she had taken bracelets and charms from students earlier. The court sentenced the teacher to the maximum sentence according to the plea bargain. Along with the time served during trial, she had to serve 16 months in a state jail facility. The court also barred her from jobs as a child care provider and prohibited her from owning a weapon as a convicted felon.
Boyd then went off the record to give a reality check to the teacher. She told her, “Once you do something and you start being deceptive about it, there are more lies following, and pretty soon everything spirals out of control. In this case, you had so many opportunities just to stop.”
Judge Boyd noted that the teacher could have resolved the issue immediately by returning the bracelet, but chose instead to maintain the deception and allow the student to be wrongfully blamed.
Questioning the judgment of an educator expected to be a trustworthy figure, the judge emphasized that the breach of trust could permanently damage the victim’s perception of authority figures.
Disclaimer: Inquisitr individually could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.
