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ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A former high school teacher in West Texas must serve 60 years in prison for having sexual contact with two female students.
Jay Dee Burns was sentenced Wednesday in Odessa.
The ex-Odessa Permian High School instructor pleaded guilty last month to four counts of an improper relationship between an educator and a student, three counts of sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child and stalking.
The 45-year-old Burns taught social studies and was an academic decathlon coach. Odessa police began investigating him last year after an 18-year-old student was treated for an overdose and she mentioned Burns.
Investigators say a 16-year-old girl then reported having sexual contact with Burns. The students know each other.
Burns, who resigned last June, will be eligible for parole after 30 years.
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