Teacher who sexually groomed girl, 13, jailed 15 years

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6th grade teacher Stephanie Erin Kellenberger was sexually obsessed with her daughter's 13-year-old nanny.

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And the following year, the sexual encounters began and continued until the victim turned 16, the age of consent in Ohio.

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Now 41-year-old Kellenberger has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for her perversions. She pleaded guilty to four counts of third-degree felony sexual conduct and 17 counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor between February 2020 and October 2021.

The crimes all happened at the teacher's home in Shelby, Ohio, the court heard.

PERVERTED

Kellenberger could be eligible for court release after ten years if she commits no other offenses while behind bars.

“You were a teacher. She was a student. But at the time this happened, you were not her teacher and she was not your student,” Richland County Common Pleas Judge Brent Robinson told Kellenberger at sentencing.

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“Don't let anyone be confused, it's 15 years in prison with the hope that you'll be back in 10 years, and you've been a model prisoner – you've done everything you're supposed to do, you haven't had any trouble at all.”

But her lawyer made a bet and the prosecution agreed that consent was not the issue: it was the age of the victim. The lawyers agreed that no force was used during the teacher's perverted seductions.

Kellenberger was placed on paid administrative leave from Shelby City Schools in February 2024 after “allegations were made” that police reported to the school district. It was only after she was formally charged with criminal offenses in September 2024 that Kellenberger resigned.

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CHOICE

The victim in this case wanted Kellenberger to receive only three years in prison. The judge overturned the lenient sentence as too short.

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Kellenberger's lawyers were given two options: either she serve a 12-year prison sentence, or 15 years with the possibility of release by court order after 10 years. The teacher decided to go with the second option, which meant that the victim did not have to testify in court.

She must also register as a convicted sex offender and is prohibited from contacting the victim, to whom Kellenberger apologized in court.

GONE AT 13 YEARS OLD

“I know that at that time you were just a child, and I was an adult in a position of trust. I am responsible for everything that happened between us,” said the disgraced teacher.

She added: “I am so sorry for all the emotional pain and pain I have caused you. I hope my guilty pleas and this sentence will provide you with some degree of closure as you move on with your life.”

“I fully accept the consequences of my actions and the sentence I will receive today.”

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