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Female coach sentenced to 3 years for sex with student
By COLLEEN JENKINS, Times Staff Writer
Published December 6, 2007
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Friends, family members and co-workers weep as Hillsborough Circuit Judge J. Rogers Padgett pronounced his sentence of three years in prison for Wallace. Wallace pleaded guilty to havinga sexual relationship with a student.
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[Ken Helle | Times]
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[Ken Helle | Times]
Jaymee Wallace reads a prepared statement to the court at the end of her sentencing Wednesday.
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TAMPA -- As a teacher and basketball coach at Wharton High School, Jaymee Wallace knew how much she could lose by having sex with a female student.
"Take this to your grave," she told those who learned of the clandestine relationship.
On Wednesday, her worst fears came true.
Hillsborough Circuit Judge J. Rogers Padgett sentenced Wallace, 30, to three years of prison, followed by three years of sex offender probation.
The one-time high school prom queen and salutatorian now will be registered for life as a sexual predator.
Reaction at Wharton was mixed. Some students said the girl -- 15 when the sex first occurred -- was old enough to make her own choices; others said Wallace went too far.
"I feel bad for her husband and son, but not for her because (the affair) went on for a while," said junior Amani Bryant, who had Wallace's husband as a math teacher. "She was the adult in that situation."
Wallace's punishment capped an emotional three-hour hearing, during which she was portrayed as a loving mother, devoted wife, woman of God and, in her darkest hour, betrayer of the trust society places in teachers.
The petite woman sobbed as she asked the victim's family and the judge to show mercy.
"I am deeply sorry for crossing the lines and boundaries that never should have been crossed," she said. "Please don't send me to prison."
Her words echoed those of her teenage victim, who in October said she didn't want Wallace jailed. Wallace had pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious battery and unlawful sexual activity with a minor, charges that threatened to put her in prison for nine to 30 years.
The victim, now 19, was away on a military assignment and did not attend Wednesday's hearing.
Her parents, however, sought prison time. Their daughter was a minor when the relationship occurred, they said, and her request for no jail time indicated the extent of her psychological damage.
"If that were (Wallace's) child," the victim's father said, "she would be standing here wanting her child to be vindicated."
The names of the parents and the girl are being withheld to protect their identities.
The girl was 14, a rising star on Wallace's team and a student in her math class, when she told the teacher that she was confused about her sexuality, prosecutor Kimberly Hindman said.
Wallace responded in December 2002 with a note attached to the student's math test.
"I think you're attractive," it said. "Do you feel the same?"
The pair traded more notes. The girl turned 15. They began having sex in Wallace's car, in her Tampa Palms apartment and near a running trail at the University of South Florida.
Their trysts continued even after Wallace married a fellow teacher and coach, Craig Wallace, in June 2003.
The victim's sister recalled Wednesday how Wallace begged her to keep her knowledge of the relationship "to the grave."
The 19-month relationship broke off in August 2004. Wallace was arrested in October 2005, after the victim confessed to her mother.
Since then, Wallace gave birth to a son with her husband and committed her life to Jesus Christ, her supporters said. They filled three courtroom benches.
Defense attorney Joe Bodiford said his client suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder; she watched her father abuse her mother and older siblings, and she aborted her first pregnancy.
Arguing that the victim was a willing participant, he asked for probation.
At 1 p.m., Padgett sentenced Wallace to prison. He refused her request to see her 10-month-old son, who was waiting outside the courtroom.
Again, Wallace sobbed.
"I want to see my son," she cried as deputies took her fingerprints. "Please. Please."
Times staff writer Amber Mobley contributed to this report.
[Last modified December 6, 2007, 00:50:19]
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Comments on this article
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by jesi
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12/07/07 04:40 PM
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We all make mistakes and this is just one. I pray for her and her family. She just got caught. One good thing is she'l;l never do that again, and thats what lesson needs to be learned. People are so judgemental. Atleast she is sorry.
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by Mike
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12/07/07 09:37 AM
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I am not saying that this woman did not get the justince she deserved, but I am going to say that it says alot of bad about our justing system when Wallace gets 3 years in jail and Lafave gets probation. UNFAIR JUSTICE????
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by juvy
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12/07/07 09:02 AM
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the adult got what she diserved but the child made a choice to and that was to b sexualy active with someone else so she should be at fault to if she was smart she wouldnt hav went through with it knowin that it was against the law
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by edward
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12/07/07 06:43 AM
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well, everybody is a victim here, jail will do something good? the father thinks that revenge will heal his narcisist wound, her little baby "perverted"? naaahhh, what is the 19 years woman does now in the army?.....
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by Meg
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12/07/07 12:13 AM
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Getting saved doesn't mean you don't have to face the consequences of your past sin,You are forgiven and free in Christ but your sin will find you out.Becoming a Christian should cause you to make things right, not hide from the past...
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by Mac-101
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12/06/07 10:38 PM
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She committed two major sins. One, the sex with a minor, and second, even worse, was getting pregnant while she was dealing with the justice system for the first transaction. She really cared about the baby she was going to concieved!
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by Chris
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12/06/07 10:13 PM
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I'm very happy for her that she has sought, and found, faith in Jesus Christ. However, that has nothing to do with the extreme impropriety that she committed -- those hurt by her may be scarred for life -- and it is right that she be punished.
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by Watson
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12/06/07 08:07 PM
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maybe the parents should have done a better job of keeping up with their child, can't say I feel sorry for either. Of course the parents will try and cover their own inability to take care of their child.
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by Ron
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12/06/07 07:44 PM
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I am so sick and tired of women getting away with this while they want the private parts of men cut off for duing the same thing. What really ticks me off is the fact that women in general support these bimbos.
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by Frustrated
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12/06/07 07:43 PM
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and justice for all.......
well all who are not as pretty as others.
I agree this woman should be in jail, but why her and not others?
why isn't the judicial system fair?
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by Howard
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12/06/07 04:06 PM
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I find it offensive that someone would insist on a metric against which God would have to be regarded as a child molester.
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by Christian
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12/06/07 03:38 PM
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Christians are not perfect, just forgiven.
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by the pope
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12/06/07 03:23 PM
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She knew she was in the wrong. The people who knew and kept it secret should be charged as well. Hope the crime was worth the time. Christian like Charley Manson.
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by Mobius
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12/06/07 02:59 PM
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To those who say that this shouldn't be a crime, what you are really saying is that the age of consent should be lowered to at least 15 years old, and maybe even lower. And I don't want to see 50 year old men looking for 15 year old girls ever!
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by Elisa
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12/06/07 01:43 PM
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This wretched woman got off EASY! I agree with the comment below, if this were a man accused in this crime, his sentence would have been much harsher! She betrayed the trust of everyone in the community and her "christianity" is too little too late
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by Howard
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12/06/07 12:47 PM
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Christians should follow the example laid down by the Lord. How old was Mary, mother of Jesus, when she was impregnated by God Almighty Himself???
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by Willy
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12/06/07 12:28 PM
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To all who have commented here: do you believe this woman to be more wicked and perverse than all of you or I? Everyone is capable of the most heinous behavior, given the opportunity. Take heed lest ye fall. If we do not sin ... that is God's grace.
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by Victor
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12/06/07 12:25 PM
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I think this is typical of just how far we have sunk into depravity! Just when you think you have heard everything! People need to wake up!
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by Alex
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12/06/07 12:13 PM
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Far too many times offenders fraudulently claim to've subsequently converted to Christianity in order to try to have their sentences reduced. In order to check this trend, I'd like to see such characters have their sentences INCREASED.
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by Howard
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12/06/07 12:07 PM
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It is asinine to regard 15yr. old young women like they are 5 yr old girls. This has been marrying age the world over, until recently in the west. c1950
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by Jack R.
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12/06/07 11:50 AM
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If she were a true Christian she would have accepted her punishment instead of trying to lay blame elsewhere. No wonder people always find fault with Christians.
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by Kathleen
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12/06/07 11:45 AM
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This woman is sick. What she did is abominable and against the law. She needs to be in jail and get the help she needs in jail. If this were a man, the sentence would have been longer & harsher. We are too soft on women who are sexual preditors.
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by Jack
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12/06/07 10:39 AM
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Call me a "bleeding heart" but retributive justice is not really justice. This woman needs HELP - not prison. As a Christian I find this entirely punitive approach a problem.
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by Suzanne
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12/06/07 09:15 AM
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If a man had been involved, the key would have been thrown away. Men are consistently held to different standards in these kinds of cases and punished far more harshly. It's unjustifiable. The system is the last legal form of gender discrimination.
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by Nee
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12/06/07 08:43 AM
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3 yrs is not a lot of time. She probably got pregnant so that the court would have mercy on her. She should not have done that. Now look at the damage the son will face. 3 yrs w/o a mom. He's also gonna wonder what she did....
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by John
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12/06/07 07:40 AM
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Our legal system is a joke sometimes, they gave that male teacher 5 1/2 years and his victum was 17, 3 months from 18....
LaFeve got house arrest, and Wallace got 3 years. Goes to show you that Jim's comments are exactly correct! Money talks.
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by Dave
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12/06/07 07:31 AM
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You know, every time I read these stories I ask, "where were these teachers when I was in high school?" Regardless, LaFave should have received a similar sentence.
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by Donald
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12/06/07 07:17 AM
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In Texas, a man would have gotten 99 years for that...
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by jim
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12/06/07 05:43 AM
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This is easy, she did not have the money for a high priced attorney, LaFeve did.
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by Anne
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12/06/07 05:23 AM
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What a crying shame that our legal system cannot get its act together. I sure hope they send that blonde to jail like they did Wallace. Probation did her no good. We need to check our teacher's background a lot better before hiring.
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by Darrell
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12/06/07 03:01 AM
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Good job, Feel sorry for her family but she's getting what her crime deserved. If she was claiming to be a Christian she should have admitted her wrongdoing and cop the sentence on the chin, that may have gained more sympathy. A man would've got mor
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