A former Maryland middle school teacher who repeatedly sexually abused a 14-year-old student has learned her fate.
Melissa Curtis, 32, of Upper Marlboro, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday, Nov. 15. However, a Montgomery County judge suspended the majority of the sentence, allowing Curtis to serve 12 months behind bars and five years of supervised probation, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County State Attorney's Office confirmed in a statement on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Following her release, Curtis will be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years, per the statement. She will also not be permitted to have unsupervised contact with minors other than her own children. Curtis pleaded guilty to "three counts of third-degree sex offense" on June 20, the statement reads.
Curtis was a Teacher, Victim Her 8th-Grade Student When the Abuse Began
As previously reported, an investigation began in October 2023 after the now-adult victim came forward to authorities and told them Curtis sexually abused him multiple times over a period of several months that year, when Curtis was a teacher at Montgomery Village Middle School.
He said the abuse began in 2015 when Curtis was 22 and he was a 14-year-old 8th grade student at the school. During one incident, Curtis allegedly touched the boy inappropriately inside a classroom at the school before performing oral sex on him, according to court documents.
The pair also allegedly had sexual intercourse several times at other locations, including Curtis' mother's home and the boy's home, and inappropriate contact even took place at a movie theatre in Montgomery County, documents say.
Curtis was Also Accused of Providing the Victim with Alcohol and Marijuana Before Engaging in the Sexual Abuse
The man also told police that Curtis gave him alcohol and marijuana before encouraging him to perform a sexual act on her, according to the documents.
A warrant was issued for Curtis' arrest on Oct. 31, 2023, and she turned herself in to authorities on Nov. 7, 2023, per the MCPD statement.
Curtis had been a teacher for approximately two years in Montgomery County and had also taught at Lakelands Park Middle School. A spokesperson told Fox 5 DC that Curtis left Montgomery County Public Schools in 2017.
