Texas Teacher Gets 10 Years for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Waco, Texas) Former middle school teacher Tara Allison Hodges, 27, has been sentenced by 19th State District Court Judge Ralph Strother to ten 10-year terms in prison for 10 counts of sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy.

The prison terms are to be served concurrently.

Strother said the facts of Hodges’ actions justified an even “stronger sentence” but he went along with a plea bargain after she pleaded guilty in June.

As Hodges was being led away by a deputy, she looked back at the boy and his family and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

According to her attorney, Hodges will never teach again and she will have to register as a sex offender.

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Texas Teacher Accused of Sex with Boy, 14
[Previous 8/7/08 post]
(Waco, Texas) A 26-year-old special education teacher, Tara Allison Hodges, surrendered to police yesterday to faces charges stemming from an alleged sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student.

Hodges has been charged with sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between educator and student.

Hodges’ arrest warrant affidavit states that she “had sexual contact with (the 14-year-old boy) on at least 10 seperate occasions, and that during several of these encounters Tara Allison Hodges also smoked marijuana with (the boy).”

She was not charged with any drug-related offenses, officials said.

The affidavit says the sexual relationship lasted for about two months and specifically cites one occasion, on June 6, when Hodges picked the boy up in her car and took him to her apartment at Pecan Ridge Apartments, 2736 Lake Shore Drive, to have sex and smoke marijuana.

Hodges also gave the boy money and bought him shoes on at least two occasions, according to the affidavit.

Hodges was employed at the Brazos Middle School when the alleged relationship began. She recently resigned to take a position with the Katy Independent School District, filling a teaching slot at Mayde Creek Junior High School.

Interestingly, Hodges' Facebook page says she likes TV shows with "prison, gang and drug documentaries for some reason!!!” How ironic. She may get to experience those things first-hand.

Hodges was booked into custody at the McLennan County Jail with bond set at $300,000.


[Update 6/1/09]

Tara Hodges pleaded guilty earlier today to 10 counts of sexual assault of a child. Sentencing is planned for later in the month.