Montgomery County JailA disgraced substitute teacher who had sex with multiple teenage students will not serve jail time after the victims’ families made a startling request in court.
Madeline Marx, 24, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of sexual battery involving three students while she was a teacher at Kettering Fairmont High School, Ohio, after school officials became aware she was grooming her pupils for inappropriate relationships.
Marx was pulled from her classroom and arrested in November:
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On Thursday, a Montgomery County pleas court judge sentenced the 24-year-old former educator but opted out of giving her jail time, reports ABC 22.
But despite facing up to six years in jail, Marx walked free from court, sentenced to five years of community control sanctions.
She must also register as a Tier 3 sex offender after admitting performing sex acts on a 17-year-old student and engaging in intercourse with a 16-year-old boy from her Ohio school.
Google MapsThe substitute teacher at Oakwood and Kettering pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery against three students.
Police were able to arrest Marx after nude photos she had sent to students over social media were shared around the high school.
Several students told the principal she was having inappropriate relationships with two students, the court heard. Marx broke down in tears during her sentencing apologising to the victims’ families.
She told the presiding Judge:
I cannot express how sorry I am for what I’ve done to the victims and their families. I’m so sorry.
Judge Steven Danok thanked Marx saying the former teacher hadn’t been in trouble with the law before and cooperated with authorities once she was caught.
He also said that he had received 38 letters of support for Marx and the parents of one of the victims asked that she be given probation. However, the court heard one victim’s parent was displeased Marx didn’t get any jail time.
Judge Danok said:
The court believes these offences are not likely to recur. This is extremely significant to the court, that Ms. Marx has shown genuine remorse for the offence.
We want you to be successful on probation, we want you to be successful on community control.
Montgomery County Assistant Prosecutor Dylan Smearcheck said he was pleased with the sentence Marx received.
WKEFSmearcheck said of the ruling:
Because Ms Marx plead guilty in this case, the victims were spared reliving this through a trial.
Additionally Ms Marx is going to have to register for the rest of her life as a sex offender and will never be able to teach again.
Marx is now a tier III sex offender and must register her address every three months, or ninety days. If she violates her probation she can be thrown in jail for the breach.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. If you are a child seeking advice and support call Childline for free on 0800 1111.
If you have a story to tell, contact UNILAD via [email protected].
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.