California Teacher Guilty of Sex with Schoolgirl

(Aliso Viejo, California) In March 2007, a 36-year-old former middle school teacher, Michelle Antoinette Rossi, was arrested for allegedly engaging in a year-long inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old female student nine years ago.

The molestation occurred between September 1998 and August 1999, when Rossi was an Arrowview Middle School math teacher and the student was 14 and 15, according to court records.

The former student alerted San Bernardino investigators of the inappropriate relationship and Orange County deputies made the arrest. Rossi was charged with 12 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Yesterday, Rossi pleaded no contest to two counts of lewd acts on a child in accordance with a plea deal. In exchange, the prosecution dropped 10 other counts of lewd and lascivious acts.

Under the agreement, Rossi, now 37, must serve 180 days in jail plus five years probation. Rossi also permanently loses her teaching credentials and must register as a sex offender.

Dressed in a black pant-suit, a subdued Rossi quietly answered "yes" and "no" to Superior Court Judge James Dorr's questions as he went over the plea agreement in court.

Dorr told Rossi she could serve her jail sentence on weekends or at home with an electronic monitoring device.

So, after all is said and done, the 180 days in jail turns out to be 180 days at home -- for engaging in a year-long sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. Jeez, I just can't help but think that a male teacher would have been hammered for that specific offense.

Formal sentencing is scheduled for November 2nd.


[Update 11/21/07]

Rossi sentenced.