A school teacher who was caught sexually assaulting a student has been jailed for two and a half years.
Nancy Leigh Ann Brann, 44, of Windsor, Maine, in the US, admitted one count each of class A gross sexual assault and class C unlawful sexual contact, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.
Brann was accused of sexually assaulting a student below the age of 14 while she was teaching at the Coastal Christian School in Waldoboro in 2016, the Bangor Daily News reports.
Police in Maine said there is no information indicating the school administration had any knowledge of the alleged offenses prior to being notified by the investigators.
Assistant District Attorney Matthew Gerety said Brann became Facebook friends with the victim.
"She became involved with the victim to the degree the victim's parents were concerned," Gerety said.
Superior Court Justice Daniel Billings sentenced her to 12 years with all but two and half years suspended, plus four years of probation, during a hearing at the Lincoln County Courthouse in Wiscasset on Tuesday.
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Brann's probation conditions prohibit contact with the victim, the victim's family and any child under the age of 18, except for her children and grandchildren.
Judge Billings described the aggravating factors contributing to his sentencing decision which included the fact the sex sessions took place in the classrooms and were part of a larger pattern of conduct toward the victim that extended to online interactions.
He said in the court: "The defendant abused a position of authority and trust and continued to have contact with the victim after she was fired.
"This took place in school. Some of it took place in places other students could and did not notice it."
Brann also has to take certain medication, avoid areas where children congregate, receive sex offender and mental health counselling, and not use alcohol or drugs, while being subject to searches and tests.
She must also register as a sex offender.
