Pedophile teacher who sent underage boy nudes and told him she was a 'bad girl' avoids jail time
CLINTON, MASSACHUSETTS: A math teacher has avoided jail after reportedly sending sexually provocative photos to a 15-year-old student and telling him she was a "bad girl".
Dorothy Veracka, 42, was handed a 30-month suspended jail sentence recently. As part of the ruling, she is also required to complete two years probation for grooming the youngster at Nashoba Regional High School in Clinton, Massachusetts, Metro reports.
"She is sick," stated a victim impact statement read in court from the victim's family, who went on to brand Veracka's behavior "reprehensible" and claimed she would have sexually assaulted their son if she hadn't been stopped.
But the teacher managed to avoid jail as part of a plea agreement that saw her admit to distributing obscene matter to a minor in return for having a charge of possessing child pornography dropped.
Veracka, who lost her job following her arrest, reportedly sent her underage victim at least five nude or partially nude photos on Snapchat from September 2018 to March 2019.
The pervert teacher also solicited nude photos from the teenager despite her position of authority over him. Also, the victim was a year below the age of consent in Massachusetts.
Furthermore, she told the youngster she knew what she was doing was wrong, calling herself a "bad girl" for grooming him.
During the hearing, Veracka's lawyer Frank McNamara said his client's behavior was motivated by alcohol, late-night messaging, and compulsive behavior.
The married mother-of-three reportedly began grooming her teenage victim via a school-based instant messaging service called Google Classroom.
Besides, she also asked him to add her on Snapchat so they could communicate "more freely," according to the report.
The teacher and student then began exchanging nude photos, according to MassLive, before Veracka started whispering obscenities into his ear during class.
Veracka's behavior was busted after the victim reportedly showed her nude photos to a female friend of his, who then told an adult.
According to the report, school principal Paul Di Domenico allegedly knew about the snaps in June 2019 itself, three months before the unnamed parent told law enforcement about the same.
Domenico was put on paid leave after the parent discovered Veracka was still working at the school despite her behavior.
In court, Veracka was described as a teacher who was known to be "a little too comfortable with students".
“The principal’s failure to follow up on obvious leads deprived him of the knowledge that was discovered months later by the police," Attorney Tim D Norris of Norris, Murray & Peloquin, LLC, wrote in his report. "The principal’s failure to document the investigation deprived the district of a second chance to revisit the matter and ensure that a proper investigation was completed."
Now, Veracka is banned from unsupervised conduct with children under 16 as part of her sentence. However, she is allowed to visit her own children's schools if they are participating in an event.
“The School Committee thanks Mr Norris for his thorough investigation into this serious matter,” Kathryn Codianne, the school committee chair, said in a statement. “With the acceptance of the findings of this independent report, the District can now turn its attention to making the necessary changes to the policy, protocol and professional development to ensure that our students continue to receive the highest quality of education in a safe and caring environment.”