MARTINEZ — In a plea deal with prosecutors, a former Richmond high school teacher was sentenced Wednesday to three years and eight months in state prison for sexually abusing a female student, authorities said.
Jane Shetterly, 42, pleaded no contest to two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object, under aggravated circumstances of being more than 10 years older than the victim. She remains in county jail, pending transfer to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Shetterly, a Martinez resident, was charged last July with 12 felonies related to alleged sexual abuse of a girl during private lessons at Shetterly’s home. Police say the victim is a special needs student and that Shetterly abused her during private lessons at Shetterly’s home.
The sentence can be reduced by up to 50 percent with good behavior. Shetterly also gets credit for time she served in the county jail awaiting a resolution to her case.
In court records, police alleged Shetterly groomed the girl after they met during her freshman year. The girl reported that she and Shetterly kissed more than 100 times, that Shetterly wrote the girl “love letters,” bought her alcohol, and took her to sex shops. They also allege that Shetterly told the girl to falsely accuse her parents of abuse so that Shetterly could adopt her and “scripted” messages to that effect for the girl to submit to authorities.
The victim’s family has sued the West Contra Costa Unified School district, alleging officials there missed or ignored warning signs that the girl was being abused, and failed to stop Shetterly from contacting the victim after the alleged abuse came to light. The lawsuit is still active.
Source: www.mercurynews.com