(NewsReady.com) – Child abuse is one of the most abhorrent crimes a person can commit. That’s especially true when a teacher is the abuser. An educator in Wisconsin is staring down a possible life sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing a student.
On July 31, Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger announced the conviction of Anne N. Nelson-Koch. The 74-year-old was found guilty of 25 counts stemming from the sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy. The abuse occurred during the 2016-2017 school year in the basement of a private school in Tomah.
The trial took three days, but the jury only took five hours to reach a verdict. The charges included 12 counts of second-degree sexual assault on a child, eight counts of exposing intimate parts to a minor, one count of intimidating a victim, and four counts of child enticement sexual conduct.
Sarah M. Skiles, the assistant district attorney (ADA), called the survivor in the case “an incredibly brave young man.” She thanked the jury for its “dedication to finding the truth.” She also credited Tomah Police Detective Paul Sloan for his work on the case.
After Nelson-Koch’s conviction, the ADA asked Judge Richard Radcliffe to revoke the sex offender’s bond, but he refused. Instead, he released her back into the community with GPS monitoring and scheduled the sentencing for October 27.
The disgraced teacher is facing 600 years in prison for the crimes, which would ultimately result in a life sentence.
A week after Nelson-Koch’s conviction, a jury in Bethel, Alaska, found 49-year-old John Mark Hammonds guilty on 14 charges released to the sexual abuse of two children. The former elementary school teacher committed the crimes while he was teaching at a school in Wasilla in 2019 and another in Akiachak in 2021. He’s facing 595 years in prison. Unlike the former Wisconsin teacher, he is in jail without bond until his sentencing on January 19, 2024.
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