Wednesday, October 17 2007, finally closed the book on the case of a former Northwest Catholic High School teacher. The once popular teacher who also was a musician admitted in court to having a sexual relationship with a 16 year-old student.
Matthew Glasser, 31, of Oxford St, Hartford CT, resigned from his teaching job at the high school in the spring of 2005, after allegations came to light of a relationship with a student. That student had confessed a fear that she may have been pregnant.
Glasser met the now 16 year old when she was in elementary school and used his position to violate the student's trust, according to the prosecutor. The arrest warrent describes a relationship that began as friends and advanced to internet chats and late night cellphone chats to a sexual relationship according to the victim.
On Valentine's Day 2005, Glasser sent the victim an email that asked her in slang, "Wanna Spoon ha ha." The girl stated that she replied. "Aww yes" and Glasser responded in return with telling her she could whenever she wanted to. Within a month, the relationship had changed and Glasser called the girl's cellphone at about 2 am and asked her for directions to her house. He picked her up and they spent the time driving around.
By April 12 2005, the girl was sneaking out of her home more often and the time spent at Glasser's apartment watching movies had progressed to consensual sexual intercourse. They had used condoms all but once, on May 3 and it was after that, the young girl thought she might be pregnant and sought help from authorities. The arrest warrent doesn't state how school officials found out about the relationship but they contacted authorities immediately after learning of the allegations in early May 2005.
Police then searched Galsser's apartment and seized sheets, pillowcases, cellphone records, a stuffed frog and his computer for evidence. Some of the items had been described specifically by the victim.
While Glasser seems to have taken a similar path as Brenton Wuchae in North Carolina did with his former student, now wife, he faces a very different future than Wuchae. Glasser was 28 at the time of the relationship, 12 years older than the girl he felt he needed to be with. He also resigned as soon as the allegations surfaced but didn't use the apparent escape clause Wuchae did by marrying his child girlfriend.
Glasser doesn't get to look forward to evenings of games and watching movies with a young girl, he instead struck a deal and pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of tampering with a witness and five counts of fourth-degree sexual assault. He was sentenced on October 17 to a seven year suspended prison term and five years of probation. As a condition of his probation, he forfeits his rights to teach in Connecticut, must register as a sex offender and comply with any sexual offender treatment recommended by the state.
It would seem that there is a very big difference in how some states view teachers having relationships with their students.... Wuchae so far is only facing an investigation and Windy's parents are left to try and sue the school board that turned deaf ears and a blind eye to their complaints.
For a related post, go here.
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