A former California teacher has been convicted of sexually abusing an eighth-grader on graduation day and received the maximum prison sentence, authorities said.
of Gridley Police Department In November 2023, Gridley Unified School District arrested suspect Michelle Christine Solis, 46, after a concerned parent claimed “explicit photos” of the teacher were “circulating among students.”
The former teacher’s lawyer argued that he should receive probation because the incident was merely “a single act.”
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey Said Solis was engaged in an illicit sexual relationship with an eighth-grade student at Sycamore Middle School.
Solis allegedly “friended” the minor on Instagram and then sent explicit photos of himself to the boy.
“Evidence indicates that Solis sent four explicit photographs of himself to the boy before engaging in sexual intercourse with him in a classroom on the boy’s eighth-grade graduation day,” the district attorney’s office said.
Investigators reportedly substantiated the allegations by examining the victim’s cellphone messages, and teachers reportedly instructed the boy to delete the communications. Prosecutors said Solis also gave the student “special treatment” at school.
Solis was charged with unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of 16. After Solis pleaded not guilty, Butte County Superior Court Judge Michael Deems sentenced Solis to the maximum sentence of four years in state prison. Solis will also have to register as a sex offender and will not have any contact with the victim for 10 years.
The former teacher’s lawyer argued that the incident was a “single act” and that she should receive probation, but the district attorney’s office said the sentence was appropriate because of the 29-year age difference between the minor and Solis, Solis’ position of trust in the community, and a pattern of conduct that amounted to “training.”
The judge Said The ruling stated, “The manner in which the crime was committed demonstrates its sophistication in that the defendant enticed the victim into sexual contact. The Court finds that there is a factual basis for the plea and finds the defendant guilty of the crime.”
Solis was a teacher in the Gridley Unified School District for 20 years. according to To the police.
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