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PROVO — A former private school instructor and coach accused of having repeated sexual encounters with two female students has been ordered to prison.
Broch Clyde DeGraff, 28, was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison by 4th District Judge Fred Howard Tuesday for two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, and four counts of attempted forcible sexual abuse, a third-degree felony. Howard ordered DeGraff to zero to five years in prison for each third-degree felony and one to 15 years in prison for the two second-degree felonies.
The judge ordered that the prison terms run concurrently, except for one zero- to five-year sentence, which will run consecutive to the other prison terms, with credit for time served. The judge also ordered the man to pay $1,061 restitution.
DeGraff was teaching kindergarten and coaching boys and girls soccer at Liahona Preparatory Academy when the allegations about DeGraff's involvement with the two students was reported to Pleasant Grove police. The illicit relationships apparently started with text messages and escalated to late-night meetings, police said.
Police said DeGraff fondled and sexually abused two 16-year-old girls during encounters between October 2011 and June 2012. Some of the sexual acts occurred at Liahona Preparatory Academy and property adjacent to the school, while others took place at DeGraff's home in Pleasant Grove, according to a police affidavit.
The abuse was reported to school administrators after one of the girl's parents learned of the sexual encounters, police said.
DeGraff was fired by Liahona Preparatory Academy, a private school for students in kindergarten through 12th grade that bases its curriculum on the values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, school officials said.
DeGraff's father owns the school.
DeGraff pleaded guilty to the six charges in February. He was originally facing a total of 10 charges.
