In August, I wrote about the case of Stephanie McCrea, a drama teacher at Evergreen High School in Vancouver, WA. She used a fake Facebook page to communicate with and set up sexual trysts with a 15-year-old student. Among other things, she used the Facebook page to coach her student on how to answer questions from other adults or law enforcement.

On Wednesday, September 30, McCrea was sentenced by an Oregon Superior Court judge to five years in prison. Her defense counsel asked the court to allow her to enroll in a mental health program that would have lessened the length of her sentence upon successful completion; the prosecutor opposed that proposal and instead argued that McCrea should serve up to 76 months in jail. Ultimately, the court decided to impose the statutory maximum on the charges to which McCrea pleaded guilty.

Prior to the issuance of her sentence by the court, the 36-year-old McCrea read a letter of apology, which stated in part:

I take full responsibility for my actions every day. I feel the pain of knowing I hurt many people by my choices. I hurt because they hurt. I profoundly regret the hurt that I have caused and would do anything to take it back. The shame, the regret and the guilt that I feel is immense.

McCrea is the mother of a 9-year-old boy. She and her husband separated last December.