Accused Teacher Beaten

(West Jordan, Utah) Last February, American Sign Language teacher at Copper Hills High School, Melinda Lee Deluca, 29, was charged with forcible sexual abuse of one of her students, a 16-year-old boy.

According to its June 2006 newsletter, the Utah State Board of Education has revoked the teaching license of Melinda Lee Deluca for engaging in sex with a student and providing drugs and alcohol to students.

In the latest news on Deluca, it's alleged that she was attacked last Friday night and beaten.

From KSL.com:

911 dispatchers received a call from Melinda DeLuca last Friday.

DeLuca told them two men were in her home when she got there, and they had beaten her badly enough that she was flown to the hospital.

The school district fired DeLuca in December, when she was accused of having a sexual relationship with a student. Police think the beating and that situation are related.

Lt. Matt Evans/South Jordan P.D.: "It doesn't appear to be a random act, according to her. It was involved with her case in West Jordan."

Deluca was able to give a description of her attackers and police expect to arrest suspects soon.


[Update 07/05/06]

According to another report, Deluca was jumped from behind after arriving home on Friday afternoon and beaten severely by two assailants. It's currently unknown whether the attackers were men or boys.

From KUTV.com:

"It does appear that this is related to the incident in West Jordan with her teaching position at Copper Hills High School," said Lt. Matt Evans with the South Jordan Police Department. "It doesn't appear to be a random event."

I would speculate that the motive behind the beating may have been related to the fact that Deluca was allegedly involved with drugs. Whenever illegal drugs enter a picture, it's not uncommon to have related violent behavior.


[Update 09/13/06]

Hold the fort! We've got a major development in the case. Apparently, Deluca wasn't beaten, uh . . . at least not as she reported it.

From KUTV.com:

After several hundred hours of investigation, police believe the incident did not occur as reported. In follow-up interviews, police say Deluca admitted that she made the story up.

They are now deciding if they will bring charges against Deluca for filing a false police report.

I don't have any idea how she thought that a manufactured attack which resulted in hospitalization was going to help her case. Maybe she was wanted to create sympathy. Or maybe she wants to contend that she was coerced into the alleged acts of providing drugs and alcohol to students and engaging in forced sex with one of them.


[Update 10/19/06]

Deluca guilty.


[Update 01/11/07]

Deluca sentenced.