A former Buena Regional High School teacher was sentenced to five years in prison Friday for a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student.
William Jacobs, 33, of Folsom,
pleaded guilty in June to official misconduct and endangering the welfare of a child.
He was
charged in February, after an investigation by New Jersey State Police found that from last November until January, Jacobs met with the unnamed girl and had sexual relations with her. He was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by members of the U.S. Marshall Service.
An investigation found hundreds of electronic communications between the two, State Police said.
When Jacobs found out there was an investigation, he allegedly tried to get the girl not to cooperate with police.
As part of the sentence, Superior Court Judge Rodney Cunningham ordered Jacobs to forfeit all current and future employment. His teaching certification was voluntarily forfeited as well.
“Today’s sentencing brings some measure of closure to a young woman and her family," Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Flammer said. "The consequences the defendant faced today for his actions in engaging in a wholly unacceptable relationship with his student is one of his own making. He was her teacher and he should have known better.
