Marka Bodine, a Texas teacher, was sentenced to 60 days in jail after admitting to sexually assaulting a former student. But her sentence was postponed because she had recently given birth.
ABC13 Houston reports, that Harris County Judge George Glass sentenced the former Tomball ISD teacher to probation on Wednesday, Aug. 3.
She was also sentenced to ten years probation after admitting to molesting the youngster for three years.
Who Is Marka Bodine? Teacher Arrested Over 60 Days For Sexually Abusing Student
Marka Bodine, 32, is a former choir teacher at Tomball Intermediate School. She was sentenced to 60 days in prison on Tuesday for having sexual contact with a student.
She was arrested and charged with child sexual assault in April 2021, reports ABC13. She pled guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 14.
She also acknowledged having a three-year connection with the pupil, beginning when he was just 12 years old.
According to court filings, the youngster was a sixth-grade student in Bodine’s class. The student stated that Bodine befriended him while playing Fortnite and then began contacting him.
They began having sexual relations in April 2018, just after the pupil turned 13. He admitted to cops that they had intercourse in her classroom and in her car multiple times.
After her divorce, Bodine moved into the apartment complex where the student lived. When the student and his family relocated to Houston’s southside in July 2018, Bodine ended up driving two to four times a month until March 2021.
Between April 2020 and February 2021, she acknowledged to emailing the boy 25 to 40 obscene images and videos of herself.
Marka Bodine, A Former Tomball ISD Teacher Was Sentenced To Ten Years Probation
Marka Bodine will serve only 60 days in prison and 10 years on probation after sexually abusing a student. The district attorney’s office is unhappy with the sentence handed down by Harris County Judge George Glass on Tuesday.
In April 2021, the victim reported the claims to both the school and Tomball police. Prior to the claims, Bodine informed her principal that the student was harassing her and threatening to hurt herself.
According to People, she also claimed he gained access to intimate images of her and then manipulated her.
Marka Bodine Jail Sentence And Mugshot
Judge Greg Glass sentenced Marka Bodine to 10 years of probation in addition to two months in prison. She must register as a sex offender and go through counseling.
Police have released her mugshot online.
According to court documents, Glass also granted Bodine an additional year before she was required to return to the Harris County Jail to fulfill her sentence since she had just given birth, according to KXXV. The victim is not the father of the kid.
Harris County Assistant District Attorney Janna Oswald, chief of the Crimes Against Children Division, had urged to increase Bodine’s sentence.
Oswald mentioned, that she should be sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison. “Given the gravity of the offense and the long-term consequences of the crime and the impact on the child’s life.”
“In my perspective, there are certain sorts of incidents that should only deserve punishment, and this is one of them,” Oswald concluded.
“My heart goes out to the complainant and his family.” I’m really unhappy with the decision as a prosecutor a child abuse prosecutor and as a Harris County resident.”
According to ABC13’s Christopher Downey, a criminal defense attorney, the decision was likely based on the defendant’s testimony and her gender.
“I believe that whatever psych information they presented to the court may have played a role in this punishment,” he added. “This is, by all accounts, an uncommon outcome.”
“I’m sure the gender of the individual on trial, the fact that this was a lady accused of having sex with a young kid, will also play a role.”