(Jackson, Mississippi) The Mississippi Supreme Court has thrown out the conviction of Amanda Goforth, ruling she wasn't allowed adequate opportunity to confront a witness against her.
The Court also ruled that Goforth cannot be retried since the charges against her were too vague.
Amanda Goforth Gets 30 Years in Sex Case - Updated
[Previous 8/17/10 post]
(Decatur, Mississippi) Former Newton County High School teacher Amanda Goforth, 26, was convicted and sentenced last week for engaging in sex with a 14-year-old female student.
Almost stoic is how some might describe the 26-year-old's demeanor as she headed into court Friday morning. Following her sentence, it seemed reality had set in.Thirty years! Obviously, Newton County is not the jurisdiction to mix it up with children.
Given the nature of the crime, Circuit Judge Marcus Gordon fought back tears as he told the family, whom he says he knows personally, that he had no choice but to carry out the law. He then sentenced Goforth to the maximum of 30 years in prison for the first count, with five of those years suspended, and to an additional five years to serve for the second count.
Total prison time would be 30 years. Goforth was also fined $10,000, must register as a sex offender, and will have to serve five years probation after she's released from prison.
According to prosecutors, during the trial Goforth confessed to the incidents, which happened from April to October of 2009.
"The defendant admitted to the sexual conduct with the victim," said District Attorney Mark Duncan. "She claimed she was forced into it, but obviously the jury didn't believe all that."
"The judge is going to hold her without bond because it is a specific statute. So, we're going to expedite the appeal, if we can get it heard and disposed of as soon as possible," said Goforth's attorney, Charles Wright.
As for Goforth, once the school district turned the investigation over to law enforcement last November, she was placed on suspension and terminated from the job a short time later.
Also, it's worth noting that Newton County is rural and not heavily populated which accounts for the judge knowing the family. In fact, chances are that everyone in the county knows everyone else so it's understandable that Goforth's crimes are being treated so harshly. The whole county is outraged.
Tip: Lame
Mississippi Teacher Accused of Sex with Female Student
[Previous 12/3/09 post]
(Decatur, Mississippi) A 25-year-old science teacher at Newton County High School, Amanda Goforth, was arrested last week for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old female student. She has been charged with five counts of sexual battery.
Newton County superintendent, Pat Ross, says it started with one accusation.Goforth was booked and allowed to go forth from jail on $100,000 bond.
"This was Friday, November the 20th, we had the allegation. We interviewed a couple of students and we fairly quickly, that afternoon in fact, handed that investigation that we had over to the sheriff's department," Ross said.
Interestingly, the Sheriff's Department said that its camera is broke so there's no mug shot.
No comments:
Post a Comment