Sarah Bench-Salorio Pleads Guilty to Sex Crimes

(Los Angeles) Following up on a previous report, former English teacher at Santiago Charter Middle School, Sarah Bench-Salorio, 29, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of lewd contact for having sex with three young boys. Bench-Salorio taught the boys, aged 11 to 13, during the years 2003 and 2004. She seduced the boys over dinners, through e-mails and telephone calls for months before she molested them.

 
Teacher Sarah Bench-Salorio Pleads Guilty
(Photos: www.NBC4.tv)
Yesterday, Bench-Salorio pleaded guilty to 29 counts of lewd acts with the three boys before Judge Richard Toohey in Orange County Superior Court under an agreement that she be sentenced to three to six years in prison. As an aside, this equates to a range of about one to two months prison for each felony child sex crime. In other words, Bench-Salorio had no books thrown at her.

According to Mark Macaulay of the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Bench-Salorio will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. Deputy District Attorney John Christl pegged her as a "sexual predator."

Bench-Salorio's attorney, Allan Stokke, stated:

"My client concluded it was in her best interest to plead guilty and get a sentence of between three and six years as opposed to 64 years," which she could have faced as a maximum term if the case had gone to trial, Stokke said.

Bench-Salorio, jailed in lieu of $500,000 bond, is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18.

For several reasons, my take is disgust. First is what she did to the boys. As an example, one boy "estimated the number of times he and his teacher had sex by the condoms in a box that he went through -- 22 of them, he said -- and added that sometimes no condom was used." Bench-Salorio experienced no momentary lapse of judgment. She was engaged in long-term, serial sexual criminal behavior with children.

Now, couple that with the fact that she is married with three foster children and listen to her apologists claim that she suffers from depression and a bipolar condition. Well, boo-freakin'-hoo! She can be bipolar and a convict. She can be depressed and a convict. Just make her a convict for a long time.

Unfortunately, she'll be in prison for no more then six years and I seriously doubt that she'll get the full six. Think of the damage she's done. Think of the victimized boys, their families, her own family, the school. Think of what would be the punishment for a man committing similar crimes. Given all the circumstances, is six years reasonable punishment? I don't think so. Not even close. Bench-Salorio should be looking at double or triple that amount or more.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.


[Update 01/07/06]

Bench-Salorio sentenced.