A former middle school teacher in Texas who was impregnated by a 13-year-old student was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, according to KTLA sister station KIAH in Houston.
Alexandria Vera, 24, pleaded guilty last November to a lesser charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to KIAH.
By entering the guilty plea, she faced a lower minimum sentenced and could become eligible for parole in five years, TV station KTRK in Houston reported.
Vera taught eighth grade English at Houston’s Stovall Middle School at the time of the alleged crime.
She surrendered to authorities last May after a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Vera met the student when he took her English class during summer school back in 2015. According to court documents, the pair exchanged phone numbers in September and a sexual relationship eventually developed.
She admitted that the two had sex “on almost a daily basis,” police said after she turned herself in.
Vera became pregnant in January 2016, but terminated the pregnancy after officials with Texas Child Protective Services unexpectedly showed up at the school the following month to question her about the relationship, according to court documents.
She stated the two were in love, and that she had been introduced to the family as his girlfriend. The parents were accepting of the relationship, even inviting her to family gatherings, according to the documents.
During the trial, the teen victim wrote a letter to court expressing his love for Vera, KTRK reported. His parents indicated they were concerned about her losing the teaching job.
The victim’s mother also said the age difference in their relationship was not an issue in her culture, according to KTRK.
After authorities learned the teen’s parents supported the relationship and pregnancy, the boy was placed in foster care, the station reported.
