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MAGNA, Utah (AP) -- A former Cyprus High School teacher who was convicted of having sex with one of her students was sentenced to probation instead of jail.
Third District Judge Stephen Henriod sentenced Christy Brown, 33, to three years of probation, a $1,850 fine and sex-offender treatment.
Brown pleaded guilty in August to three felony counts of forcible sexual abuse. Each count is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The student's father wrote to the judge that jail time would not help his son, who feels responsible for much of what occurred. The boy's father said he also took pity on Brown because of her low self-esteem.
The judge said Brown had already suffered the loss of her career, and he was unsure what jail time would accomplish.
According to charging documents, Brown had sex with the 17-year-old boy -- who was one of her English students -- on at least three occasions between April and July.
She was arrested early on July 8 after a West Valley City police officer found her and the student in a parked car.
Brown, who taught for two years at the high school, quit her job on June 1 because she planned on moving. The judge said Brown could serve her probation in Texas, where she now lives.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
