Washington Teacher Gets 6 Months in Sex Case - Updated

(Seattle, Washington) On Friday (4/8/11), 34-year-old Taryn Fairbanks was sentenced to six months in jail. She was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

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Washington Teacher Guilty in Sex Case - Updated
[Previous 3/18/11 post]
(Seattle, Washington) Former Garfield High School teacher Taryn Fairbanks pleaded guilty yesterday to first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor stemming from relations with a 17-year-old male student.

Fairbanks faces six to 12 months in jail when sentenced on April 8.

Fairbanks, 33, was booked into the King County Jail on Thursday pending her sentencing.

Fairbanks, who was previously known as Taryn Stermer, resigned from Seattle Public Schools shortly before the charges were filed in July. She then moved back to her native Las Vegas.

According to Seattle police, Fairbanks had sex with a 17-year-old Garfield student on June 23 during a party at his home. His parents were out of town at the time, police said.

With the exception of teachers and other people in positions of authority, it's legal to slither and squeeze with a 16-year-old in the state of Washington.

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Teacher Accused of Sex with Student
[Previous 7/13/10 post]
(Seattle, Washington) A 33-year-old teacher formerly at Garfield High School, Taryn M. Fairbanks, has been charged with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor stemming from allegedly performing a sexual act on a 17-year-old student.

On June 29, police received an anonymous tip from a woman that Fairbanks, also known as Taryn Stermer, was sexually involved with a former male Garfield student, 19, and a 17-year-old student. The woman told police she learned about the incident after intercepting a text message from her daughter's phone.

A detective was assigned to the case July 1, and Garfield principal Ted Howard was alerted to the report.

"Although he had not heard of the allegations prior to notification by police, he quickly learned that the rumors of the teacher's sexual activity were widespread among students at Garfield, and even among students at other schools," Detective Donna Stangeland wrote in a probable cause document.

Reportedly, Fairbanks has moved to Nevada. However, she's due to be arraigned on July 21 in King County Superior Court.