TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A former middle school teacher in Florida has pleaded guilty to sexually molesting a teenage boy in a deal that spares her a prison term.
Deborah Lafave must go through three years of house arrest and seven of sexual offender probation, the Tampa Tribune reported.
The victim's family said that they agreed to the plea bargain because they decided that taking the case to trial would harm their son.
"I think what we agreed upon is a fair punishment, and I believe that she is taking responsibility for her actions now, and I hope she gets the help that she needs so she can move on with her life," the boy's mother said.
Lafave was the boy's English teacher at a Tampa-area middle school in 2003 and 2004. Classroom flirtatiousness turned into a brief sexual relationship that ended when the boy's aunt saw him with the teacher in an Ocala parking lot.
Assistant State Attorney Mark Sinacore said that Lafave's sentence is not as light as it looks. She must complete a grueling period of probation with prison a real possibility if she fails to do everything required.
