A former Clovis music teacher who was arrested in December for having sex with a minor student won't serve jail time over the offense.
Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Skiles on Wednesday sentenced Amanda Hubble to two years of probation. She also must register as a sex offender for at least 10 years.Hubble previously pleaded no contest to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse and one count of oral copulation of a person under 18, both felonies.
Hubble to Serve Prison Time if Probation is Violated
During her sentencing, Skiles told Hubble that she violated her position of trust as a teacher and took advantage of a student. Any feelings she developed for the teen, or vice versa, were irrelevant, Skiles said. "Amanda has accepted responsibility for her conduct and intends to comply carefully with the court's conditions of felony probation," her attorney, W. Kent Hamlin, said in a statement.
Skiles gave Hubble probation despite the request from the victim's family to hand down the maximum sentence. She could have faced up to three years and eight months in custody. If she violates her probation, she may have to serve prison time, Skiles said.
Hubble Caught After Victim was Locked Out of His Home
Hubble, 31, a former choir teacher at Clovis High School, was taken into custody in December after the teacher and student's inappropriate relationship was discovered when the boy got locked out of his home.
Investigators said Hubble and the boy engaged in two sexual encounters -one in Hubble's car in November and another in her house in December, two days before her arrest.
In one exchange, she asked when would he come over to her home. He said it would depend on when his parents went to sleep. Their secret started to unravel that night when he came home and found the door to his house locked and his father ready to confront him.
The boy's parents alerted police, who served a search warrant at Hubble's home. Investigators found evidence, including bedsheets, a comforter, and clothing, that led them to believe Hubble was having an inappropriate relationship with a high school student.
Police said records from the teen's phone and Snapchat show Hubble and the boy professing their love for each other. Hubble was placed on unpaid leave in the wake of the allegations pending the outcome of the case.
Victim Suffered Weight Loss, Took Anti-Depressants Over Relationship with Hubble, Claims Mother
Prosecutor Sandra Garcia, during the hearing, read a victim impact statement written by the victim's mother, who was present for the sentencing. "We feel that words alone cannot put into context the detrimental effects this woman's decisions have had on ourselves, the siblings, the school district, our community, her own son and family, but most importantly, the victim himself," the victim's mother wrote in her statement. "The physical and psychological effects by themselves are distressing, sadly apparent, and we fear long-lasting."
The mother said that her son suffered weight loss and side effects from antidepressant medication. After being an honor student, he failed classes, lost his job, and lost friends. She quit her job so her son wouldn't be left alone. "We've seen a vibrant teen boy fall into the deepest pits of despair, to the point of wanting to take his own life," the mother wrote.
