Wisconsin teacher who set up secret Instagram to send 14-year-old her nudes gets 5-year sentence
A Wisconsin teacher has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy and sending him explicit photos of herself via a secret Instagram account.
Sarah Heskin will serve five years for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student. Furthermore, she will have to register as a sex offender following her release and spend a decade under extended supervision, the Winona Daily News reported.
Heskin is also ordered to refrain from contacting the victim or his family, nor can she have contact with other minors without the approval of her probation officer. Furthermore, she must pay a sum of $2,058 in restitution to the victim's family.
According to a report by WEAU, the former English teacher, who taught at Durand-Arkansaw Middle School, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of second-degree sexual assault as part of a plea agreement.
Heskin was arrested for what authorities described as "inappropriate actions" with a student. The arrest took place in May last year.
A report by the Leader-Telegram dates the former teacher's abuse of the boy starting sometime in February.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the outlet, an official at the middle school alerted the authorities after she heard claims from several students that Heskin, a 24-year-old Eau Claire resident, had been having an “inappropriate relationship” with a student. Police launched an investigation immediately after.
The student in question was subsequently interrogated by an officer in a bid to discuss the claims. The 14-year-old, whose identity is being protected due to his minor status, at first only admitted that Heskin had hugged him. Upon further questioning, he revealed he had tried to kiss Heskin on one occasion, which reportedly upset the teacher, according to the complaint.
The student then denied having any contact with Heskin via social media. However, Heskin admitted to police that she would talk to the teenager via Instagram.
Initially, she claimed that the communication only involved her giving the student general advice, but she later admitted that she had kissed the student and even sent him inappropriate photos of herself.
According to the complaint, Heskin revealed to authorities that she had set up a secret Instagram account that she used to communicate with the student. According to her, she sent him "two or three" photos and one video of herself while lying in her bed. According to the Leader-Telegram, she admitted she was topless at the time.
And while Heskin claimed she was intoxicated at the time of sending the explicit media, she admitted she was fully aware of the child's minor status.
What's more? Heskin also admitted to kissing the student while at school, per a report by WQOW.
The Durand Police Department revealed last year that Heskin was arrested in May and originally charged with using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime.
According to the department, Heskin was held at the Pepin County jail until she posted a $10,000 bond. That said, the former teacher is not believed to have sexually abused or victimized any other students at the school.