Kelsey Peterson
01-06-08

Kelsey Peterson, the Lexington teacher who had an affair with a sixth-grade student before fleeing with him to Mexico, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony sexual assault of a minor Monday in Dawson County District Court.

Peterson entered the plea after a deal with Dawson County Attorney Liz Waterman to drop charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor, and felony child abuse. A charge of felony kidnapping had been dropped at an earlier court hearing. In September, Peterson was sentenced to six years in federal prison on a federal charge of crossing state lines with a person younger than 18 to have sex.

Monday's plea was on state charges. District Judge Jim Doyle told Peterson that she was giving up her right to a trial by jury by pleading guilty. After acknowledging her guilt, Peterson burst into tears as deputies led her from the courtroom in an orange jail jumpsuit. A handful of Peterson's relatives quietly watched the 15-minute hearing. Her attorney, James Martin Davis of Omaha, stood at her side as she entered her plea. Her trial was scheduled to start Jan. 13. Sentencing was set for March 6. She is being held in the Dawson County Jail. The 26-year-old Peterson faces two consecutive 50-year prison terms and will have to register as a sex offender.

Peterson was accused of having a sexual relationship with Fernando Rodriguez beginning in June 2006, when he was 12 years old and a student at Lexington Middle School, where Peterson was his sixth-grade math teacher. When school officials discovered the relationship in October 2007, the pair fled to Mexico, leading authorities on a weeklong search. In an interview with the Kearney Hub in November, Peterson said she understood that there would be penalties for her actions. "I totally am OK with taking responsibility for my actions," she said. "I do believe that I deserve some kind of punishment." "I am so not excusing what I've done," she said. "I crossed the line as a teacher, and I know that."

Ex-teacher pleads guilty to state sex assault charges (01/05/09)
Ex-teacher who fled with boy back in Neb. court (11/21/08)
Kidnapping charge dropped against Peterson (11/03/08)
Ex-Neb. teacher in state court on student sex case (10/08/08)
Ex-teacher says middle schooler was a man to her (09/29/08)
Ex-Neb. teacher gets 6 years in student sex case (09/29/08)
Ex-Neb. teacher gets 6 years in student sex case (09/29/08)
Former teacher who fled to Mexico with student sentenced today (09/29/08)
Former Lex teacher pleads guilty in minor sex case (07/02/08)
Lawyer: Lexington teacher to plead guilty (07/01/08)
Runaway Teacher Will Plead Guilty (07/01/08)
Federal judge sets trial for former teacher (04/18/08)
U.S. grants temporary parole to boy who fled with teacher (1/31/08)
New passport verifies age of boy who fled with teacher to Mexico (1/16/08)
Tears Punctuate Not Guilty Plea (11/29/07)
Runaway Teacher Pleads Not Guilty (11/29/07)
Lexington teacher pleads not guilty to federal charges (11/29/07)
Teacher who fled to Mexico to be arraigned in federal court (11/28/07)
Peterson in Nebraska (11/28/07)
MEXICAN POLICE SAY LEXINGTON BOY IS 13 (11/15/07)
Birth certificate shows boy in teacher-sex case is 13 (11/15/07)
Teacher Who Fled With Student Fired (11/13/07)
Attorney wants proof of boy’s age in teacher-student sex case (11/12/07)
Mexican Relishes Hunt for US Fugitives (11/11/07)
No Bail For Nebraska Teacher Accused Of Taking Boy (11/07/07)
Boy: Friendship With Teacher Led to Sex (11/07/07)
Boy describes journey to Mexico with former teacher (11/07/07)
Reaction: from ‘real shame’ to ‘everybody makes mistakes’ (11/06/07)
Lexington Teacher May Take Weeks to Appear in Nebraska Court (11/06/07)
Teacher accused of fleeing to Mexico with boy, appears in court (11/05/07)
Teacher Nabbed in Mexico With 13-Year-Old Student Faces Court Hearing (11/05/07)
Teen with family in Mexico, teacher faces federal court hearing Monday (11/04/07)
FBI Agents Find Nebraska Teacher, Student In Mexico (11/03/07)
Teacher Arrested in Mexico, Boy Released (11/03/07)
Teacher, Student Arrested in Mexico (11/03/07)
Police: Boy, Teacher Entered Mexico Tuesday (11/02/07)
Teacher, Student May Have Fled to Mexico (11/02/07)
Cops search for boy, 13, teacher in apparent affair (11/01/07)
Teacher and her 13-year-old student on the run (11/01/07)
Search Continues For Teacher And Teen (11/01/07)
Police Searching for Teacher and Boy (11/01/07)
Police search for teacher who ran off with student (11/01/07)
Female Teacher, 13-Year-Old Student Missing (11/01/07)
Who Is Kelsey Peterson? (11/01/07)

Thomas Gellatly
12-12-08

A former teacher at McMillan Magnet Center was sentenced in federal court to 60 months in prison Wednesday for receiving child pornography.

Chief U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Thomas Gellatly, 62, to the prison term followed by five years of supervised release.

Gellatly coached the boys swim team and taught social studies, drama and speech at McMillan. He taught previously at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. Omaha Public Schools fired him after his arrest.

The cyber crimes investigation into Gellatly began when the German National Police identified 106 AOL members, including Gellatly, in the United States who had received child porn.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement found that Gellatly's computer contained approximately six videos and 1,600 images of suspected child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the district of Nebraska.

60-month sentence in child porn case (12/11/08)
Former Omaha teacher sentenced for child porn (12/11/08)
Former Omaha teacher sentenced for child porn (12/11/08)
Omaha Teacher Arrested for Child Porn (2/15/08)
Teacher Appears In Federal Court On Child Porn Charge (2/15/08)

Drew Sanders
11-18-08

A former Gering Public Schools employee will serve 60 days in jail on charges that he exchanged explicit text messages with a student. Advertisement Prosecutors charged Drew Sanders, 23, in April on a charge of enticement of a minor by electronic device, a Class IV felony. Scottsbluff Judge Leo Dobrovolny sentenced Sanders to 60 days in jail and 60 months of probation.

Sanders' probation will include 90 days of electronic monitoring. According to an arrest affidavit filed by the Gering Police Department, Gering High School officials contacted police on April 14, saying that a student's mother had made them aware of Sanders sending sexually explicit messages to her 14-year-old daughter.

Sanders had been working for the Gering Public School system and had associations with the Gering wrestling team, according to the investigator filing the affidavit. Sanders told police that he had meet the girl during wrestling practices and had acquired her phone number. The girl's mother had personally confronted Sanders and contacted school officials. Sanders submitted his resignation after school officials met with him about the allegations. School officials contacted police. When Sanders met with police, he said that he initially believed the girl, who he had meet during practices, was 17 years old. He said they had been texting and talking on the phone for about a month. He admitted that the two had kissed but said no other sexual contact had occurred.

Gering man sentenced to jail for explicit texts to student (11/03/08)

Stephanie Draper
08-01-08

A former middle school teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a student six years ago pleaded not guilty Friday morning in Sarpy County District Court.

Stephanie A. Draper, 35, of Blair, Neb., faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a child.

Sarpy County authorities issued a warrant for Draper's arrest July 18. According to an affidavit requesting the warrant, the student, now 21, told an investigator that he and Draper had a relationship between February and April 2002, when he was 14.

Former teacher pleads not guilty in sex assault case (08/01/08)
Former Teacher Arrested in Sex Assault Investigation (07/23/08)
Sexual Assault, Blackmail Case Involves Teacher, Students (07/23/08)
Former Millard teacher turns self in, then posts bail (07/23/08)
Ex-teacher sought in sex assault of student (07/23/08)

Jason Cunningham
5-27-08

A 33-year-old Malcolm High School teacher will be attending pretrial diversion instead of facing trial on two misdemeanor counts of sexual assault.

Teacher Jason Cunningham of Lincoln no longer teaches at the school.

Had he been convicted, he faced up to a year behind bars on each count.

Sheriff's deputies say the allegations were made in January, when an 18-year-old girl said Cunningham touched 1 of her inner thighs in October at the high school. Another girl reported that Cunningham rubbed 1 of her inner thighs while they returned from a school event in late August or early September.

Former Malcolm teacher won’t face sex charges (05/27/08)
Malcolm teacher charged with sex assault of two girls (2/21/08)
Malcolm Teacher Charged With Sexually Assaulting 2 Girls (2/21/08)
Malcolm High teacher accused of sex assault (2/19/08)

Sanford Kaplan
05-16-08

Sanford Kaplan, 57, a soccer coach at Northeast High School in Lincoln, Nebraska as well as a a youth soccer coach for the Capitol Soccer Association and an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been arrested in connection with the alleged abuse of teenage boys.

Six counts were of child abuse in connection with allegedly binding the youths and suspending them from the rafters of his garage. The seventh charge is false imprisonment, which is restraining someone under terrorizing circumstances.

Charges stun coach’s circle (05/16/08)
Court Documents Detail Extent of Lincoln Man’s Suspected Abuse (05/15/08)
Soccer coach faces 14 felony charges (05/15/08)
Lincoln soccer coach held in sex case (05/15/08)

Collin Holcomb
04-15-08

A middle school science teacher pleads no contest to third degree sexual assault. Police say Collin Holcomb had sexual contact with a former student on several occasions at a park near 52nd and B. She was 14 at the time.

Holcomb taught science at Norris Middle School for four years before his arrest. Neighbors became suspicious and called police after they saw his truck parked near the park several times last year.

One complained to police that a man was meeting a "young girl" there. Court records show a judge reduced Holcomb's bond from $1 million to $100,000 but he's required to stay "in the presence" of his parents and has to continue psychiatric treatment. He'll be sentenced in July.

Former Omaha teacher sentenced for sex crime (07/21/08)
OPS Teacher Gets Up To 5 Years For Sex Assault (07/21/08)
Middle School Teacher Pleads No Contest to Sexual Assault (04/15/08)
OPS Teacher Arrested For Sexual Assault
Teacher’s Bond Set At $1M In Sexual Assault Case (05/18/07)
Assault Investigation (05/18/08)