Former Bainbridge High School teacher sentenced in student-sex case

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP) — A Bainbridge High School science teacher who was fired for having sex with a 16-year-old student has pleaded guilty to related charges.

Jessica Fuchs received a 29-month suspended sentence for two sex offenses, including sexual misconduct with a minor. Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Leila Mills also sentenced her to eight months in jail for witness tampering.

The Kitsap Sun reports that Fuchs tried to erase messages from electronic devices, but investigators recovered some that showed she urged the teen to lie to police and his parents to protect her.

In court documents, Fuchs wrote that she had gotten close to the teen by playing computer games with him and texting with him and that she had sexual relations with him three times in February.

Fuchs apologized to the judge in court Monday. The teen and his parents described how Fuchs had betrayed their trust.