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PARK CITY — A former middle school band teacher was sentenced to prison Monday for using a fake survey about sex to solicit one of his students.
Derek Spitzer, a former band teacher at Park City's Ecker Hill Middle School, was sentenced Monday to concurrent prison terms of one to 15 years for two counts of soliciting a minor over the internet, a second-degree felony.
Credit was granted for the 189 days he has spent in jail.
Spitzer, 54, was originally charged with solicitation to commit sodomy on a child and solicitation to commit aggravated sexual abuse of a child, first-degree felonies, as well as two counts of enticing a minor by internet or text, one a second-degree felony and the other a third-degree felony. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges in May.
Between Oct. 1 and Jan. 7, police say Spitzer exchanged about 500 emails on school computers with a 13-year-old boy, whom he had recruited to participate in a scientific study he claimed was associated with the Kinsey Institute, a research organization at Indiana University studying sex, gender and reproduction.
Spitzer promised financial compensation in exchange for participation in the fake study, charging documents state. The teen told police that Spitzer gave him $50 and a "thank you" card for his participation.
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Charges: Park City band teacher solicited student with fake sex study
A middle school band teacher has been arrested and accused of convincing a student to answer questions about sex through email for a scientific study he had made up, eventually asking the teen to engage in sex acts.The emails asked the teen for details about his genitalia, and included questions about sexual practices and preferences, the charges state. Over time, police say the questions became more explicit and Spitzer requested nude photographs and solicited and offered sex acts.
Charges state Spitzer also invited the boy to accompany him to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas where he said he would be conducting sexual research on nude males.
The student became increasingly uncomfortable with the emails, investigators said, and he reported what was happening to a school counselor on Jan. 7. The Park City School District terminated Spitzer from his teaching job on Jan. 12.
