Custer County Sheriff’s Office
Keri May Hoffman, a 36-year-old former teacher in Clinton, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after she was charged and convicted with second-degree rape of a minor. Hoffman was originally arrested in April 2018 on multiple charges related to the rape.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Hoffman originally turned herself into the Clinton Police Department with her husband after she allegedly confessed that she was having sex with a 15-year-old student.
When speaking with investigators, Hoffman admitted to having sexual intercourse with the student “numerous times in her car and inside her father’s detached garage.” Additionally, investigators say that Hoffman used Facebook communicate with the teen.
On Monday, December 17, Hoffman was sentenced Hoffman to 15 years in prison with 8 years suspended by a Custer County, Oklahoma judge.
As for why there has been such a significant increase in instances of teachers having sexual relationships with students, researchers believe that technology is to blame.
According to a report from the Texas Education Association, smartphones make easy for teachers to privately text and talk with students and also make it possible for teachers and students to share explicit images.
SESAME (Stop Educator Sexual Abuse Misconduct & Exploitation) President Terri Miller echoed that sentiment, stating “before cell phones, we knew who our kids were talking to” but today, “kids have their own phones, they’re taking them to bed, and parents need to watch more.”
Hoffman has been one of many teachers to be charged for inappropriate conduct. Over the course of just a few months, teachers across the United States have been charged, tried, and convicted of various abuse and sex crimes.
The list goes on to include 22-year-old Oklahoma science teacher Hunter Day, 28-year-old teacher Megan Kotarski, 23-year-old history teacher Michelle Schiffer, 29-year-old Alyssia Marie Reddy, special education teacher Jordan Ondish and 28-year-old Samantha Fitzpatrick have all been allegedly carrying on inappropriate relationships with their students.
Most recently, teachers such as 29-year-old Haylie Smart, 25-year-old Alaina Ferguson, 26-year-old Amy Nowaczyk, and 32-year-old Laura Bucy were arrested and charged for similar crimes.