“I trusted Miss Schuler during a rough time in my life, and she used that trust against me,” he said. “She played her games and groomed me and took advantage. Most people in society feel that it’s every 17-year-old’s fantasy to sleep with their teacher. Being young and naive at the time, it was. What people fail to realize is this fantasy quickly turned into a nightmare that I’m living today.”
The 34-year-old former Mason High School teacher apologized to the five victims and their families as a whole and to one in particular. She mentioned one of the victim’s mothers at the sentencing who said her son had lost faith in God and authority figures.
“To me, that’s probably one of my biggest consequences I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life,” Schuler said. “Faith in God is number one for me. My morale code, everything I stand for goes against harming someone. I very much want to help people.”
Peeler said he received more than 63 letters of support for Schuler, including one from one of her victims who felt Schuler needed counseling and had served enough time in prison. Another victim sent a letter letting Peeler know he has suffered from the ordeal.
Schuler served a little more than one year on her four-year sentence on 16 felony counts of sexual battery. After a four-day bench trial where five former students — most of them football players — testified, Peeler said Schuler would be eligible for release after six months.
“I’m glad that the judge saw that one year in prison, the loss of her teaching position and the fact that she has to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life is punishment enough,” said her attorney Charlie H. Rittgers.
Neither Schuler nor her parents, who attended the court proceeding, made any comments afterward. Rittgers said Schuler would be living with her parents because she has lost her home.
Some parents of Schuler’s victims were stunned by the judge’s decision to release the former educator.
“One teacher, five students, 16 counts of sexual battery, three counts of offenses involving underage students, 12 months in prison; it amounts to just under three weeks per count,” the mother of one victim said in court Tuesday. “It is appalling and I strongly object. Our son and our family have spent the last two years in emotional turmoil.”
The former physical education teacher at Mason High School was found guilty of supplying five students with alcohol and having sex with them on multiple occasions in her Springboro home in fall 2010.
The five young men gave graphic, detailed accounts of the exploits at Schuler’s home. One said sex with Schuler was initiated on a kitchen counter and two others talked about sex they had with Schuler in her shower. Several said they had repeated group sex with Schuler in her bed.
Peeler, before announcing his decision, said while her crimes were serious and had far-reaching consequences, he doesn’t believe she will be a repeat offender and she is sorry. He said he didn’t have to send her to prison but felt he needed to, but now she has served her time.
Prosecutor David Fornshell said the judge focused too much on the recidivism factor, which was an incorrect analysis because she can’t teach anymore or have control over students.
“Really the focus here, and where I think the court was misguided was on it’s focus on recidivism as opposed to the seriousness of what she had done, what laws she had broken,” he said. “From my perspective, when you commit 16 felonies of the third degree against five different victims, I don’t think one year in prison is sufficient punishment.”
Schuler will be on probation for five years and was ordered to get drug, alcohol and sex offender counseling. She is not allowed to profit from the sensational story while on probation and she must register as a sex offender.
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