AZ Teacher Gets Prison for Sex with Student - Updated

(Cottonwood, Arizona) Former charter school teacher Emili Kay Daniels was sentenced yesterday by Superior Court Judge Tina Ainley to three and one-half years in state prison for sexual conduct with a minor.

When released, Daniels will be on a lifetime supervised probation for her guilty pleas to three counts of attempted sexual conduct.

In sentencing the 34-year-old mother of two Tuesday, the judge said that Daniels could have contact with her own children, but with no other minors younger than 18.

Interestingly, when Daniels pleaded guilty Judge Ainley indicated that she would receive a sentence of greater than five years in prison but, on decision day, she only got three and one-half. Regarding possible registration as a sex offender, nothing was reported.

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AZ Teacher Caught with Student Pleads Guilty - Updated
[Previous 8/14/09 post]
(Cottonwood, Arizona) This week, 34-year-old former Cottonwood teacher Emili Kay Daniels pleaded guilty to engaging in sex with a 17-year-old male student.

For conviction on one count of sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of attempted sexual conduct, Daniels will reportedly receive prison time.

There is no probation available for the single count of sexual conduct with a minor, which occurred in November, according to the plea.

The class-2 felony crime could bring a sentence as long as 12.5 years in prison or as little as three years. The presumptive term is five years. Daniels must serve every day of the sentence, called flat-time, without the chance for early release.

Probation is available for counts two, three and four, charging attempted sexual conduct with a minor. A prison sentence would span the range of 2.5 to 8.75 years.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 22. Judge Tina Ashley said probation is not an option and Daniels will be required to register as a sex offender.

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Arizona Teacher Caught with Male Student
[Previous 3/7/09 post]
(Cottonwood, Arizona) A biology teacher at the American Heritage Academy charter school, Emili Kay Daniels, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 17-year-old male student. The school's principal alerted authorities.

The principal told officers that he'd gone to Daniel's classroom to speak to her, but the door was locked.

When he unlocked the door, he saw Daniels and the student, whose pants were undone, exposing his underwear.

Both Daniels and the student initially denied they had a sexual relationship.

The student admitted the next day that he'd had a relationship with Daniels beginning in October 2008, and that they'd had three sexually-related encounters beginning in November.

Daniels has been charged with three counts of sexual conduct with a minor.