Ekatherine Pappas, a 25-year-old former Spanish high school teacher at Franklin High School in Baltimore, has been sentenced to prison after she admitted to having sex with her 16-year-old male student and videotaping at least one of the encounters.
What Happened?
In June, Pappas pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of sexual offense against a student. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop additional felony counts of sexual abuse of a minor. On Monday, she was sentenced to three years in prison, but a judge suspended all but one year and one day of her term.
Following her release, Pappas will spend five years on specialized and enhanced supervised probation and will be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years, according to a report by the Baltimore Sun.
Charges against Pappas were announced back in January when authorities issued a warrant for her arrest and said she had fled the U.S. to Colombia.
In January, a video surfaced at the school featuring Pappas having sex with the 16-year-old student. A school resource officer saw a copy of the X-rated video on a student’s phone and notified administrators, WBAL reported.
On the same day school officials were notified of the video, Pappas boarded a flight from Dulles International Airport to Bogota, Columbia.
She returned to the U.S. a few weeks later and was arrested at the airport.
According to court documents, the victim told detectives that Pappas asked him to cut class on December 21 and 22, and drove him to his house to have sex with her. One of their sexual encounters was recorded on video.
Pappas, a Loyola University graduate, had been teaching at Franklin High for just one month when she became involved with the student, according to prosecutors. The boy’s father wrote a victim impact statement submitted to the court that said he and his entire family have been devastated.
“I cannot begin to explain the terror of being notified that my son had been sexually abused and it was on videotape that had been circulated throughout the school for others to see,” the parent stated.
Ekatherine Pappas
Ekatherine Pappas is a 25-year-old former first-year Spanish teacher at Franklin High School who has been sentenced to prison after she admitted to having sex with her 16-year-old male student and videotaping at least one of the encounters. However, a judge has suspended all but one year and one day of her term.
