A Florida high school teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a student has been sentenced.
Jaime Corinna Melton, 44, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual battery in a Tampa courtroom last month after she developed what was described in court as a short-lived romantic relationship with a 16-year-old girl, a student at the school where she taught. It culminated in a sexual encounter. When the girl's parents found out, Melton was arrested.
Hillsborough Circuit Judge Christine Marlewski sentenced Melton on Aug. 23 to 45 months, or a little less than four years in prison.
In addition, the judge also ordered Melton to complete 10 years of sex offender probation, during which she will be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor, submit to annual polygraph tests, and be restricted from living near schools, among other conditions. The sentence was significantly less than the 10 years state sentencing guidelines suggested.
Melton Allegedly Had a Sexual Encounter with the Victim When Her Wife was Out of Town
Melton was a high-school-level English teacher at the Carrollwood Day School when she was arrested in September 2022. The victim was described as a family friend of Melton's who also attended the school where she worked.
Melton had waited for her wife to go out of town before hosting the teen, according to new court documents, which also revealed racy text messages between the pair.
Melton allegedly told the teen that her spouse would be out of town on several dates and the victim told police that they planned to meet, the warrant said.
The victim went to Melton's home last Friday, where the teacher laid down on her bed before the teen climbed on top of her and the pair began to kiss, according to court documents.
They then moved to a couch, where they engaged in further sexual activity that was redacted from the report. Melton, 42, told the student to delete all of their text exchanges, but investigators said they were able to recover several suggestive comments that aided in their probe.
'I'm Falling Asleep Where we Shared Our Intimacy'
In one chat, Melton told the student that she's hungry. The victim then asked her what she would like to eat.
"You," Melton replied.
After their Sept. 9 encounter, Melton reached out to the student.
"I'm falling asleep where we shared out intimacy," she wrote, according to police.
Assistant State Attorney Amber Turbeville said that Melton steered her relationship with the girl toward one that became emotionally intimate, violating her position of trust as an authority figure.
"She was 42 years old, a mother, a wife and a teacher," the prosecutor said. "And at any point could have fulfilled her emotional void and her sexual void with an adult, a friendship, or a professional. And she chose not to. She chose to fill that void with a vulnerable 16 year-old."
