Did I Miss Something Here?

There are stories that I see referenced on blogs, like Ace of Spades HQ and I have to click through to see the original news accounts because I find the blogger's version so unbelievable.  A family is informed by police that their son was molested by a teacher -- and the proof of it was that someone emailed pictures of the crime to the school board, the superintendent, and posted them on a porn site.

That's bad.  It gets worse.  When the teacher who molested this kid -- and thoughtfully provided photographic evidence of his crime -- was convicted, who argued for leniency?

That’s when they learned for the first time that numerous teachers in the school district wrote to the court to plead for a lenient sentence for their colleague. They were shocked to see several teachers – and school board member Mike Eagan – sitting across the courtroom with the sex offender’s family.

“Neal made a mistake,” teacher Sally Campbell wrote to the judge, according to the Ogemaw County Herald. “He allowed a mutual friendship to develop into much more. He realized his mistake and ended it years before someone anonymously sent something in to the authorities which began this legal process.”

“I am asking that Neal be given the absolute minimum sentence, considering all the circumstances surrounding this case,” wrote Amy Huber Eagan, a teacher and wife of board member Mike Eagan. “I am also hoping that he can stay remanded to the custody of the Ogemaw County Jail and not be sent to a prison facility.”

Fortunately, the judge had more sense than the teachers, and sentenced Erickson to 15-30 years in prison.  This guy must be a real charmer.  Or is this just the teachers' union sticking up for another dues-paying member?

Oh yes: someone set a fire in the garage of the parents with graffiti threatening them.  What sort of sick monsters feel it is appropriate to protect a monster like this? 

UPDATE: The school district declined to fire the teachers who showed up to ask for a light sentence for their child molesting colleague.  However, they did agree to send all the teachers to ethics training, and accommodate requests from parents who did not want their kids in the classrooms of these teachers.  The local Lutheran Church is denying that they posted bail for Erickson.

Instead, the entire staff of the district will undergo ethics training. The board will also attempt to accommodate requests from parents who do not want their children in the teachers’ classrooms. - See more at: http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/?p=23712#sthash.5pnVHEnA.dpuf

Instead, the entire staff of the district will undergo ethics training. The board will also attempt to accommodate requests from parents who do not want their children in the teachers’ classrooms. - See more at: http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/?p=23712#sthash.5pnVHEnA.dpuf

Instead, the entire staff of the district will undergo ethics training. The board will also attempt to accommodate requests from parents who do not want their children in the teachers’ classrooms. - See more at: http://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/?p=23712#sthash.5pnVHEnA.dpuf