Kathleen 'Kate' Boozer, a former teacher at Lake Orion High School in Lake Orion, Michigan, has been sentenced to a year in jail after she pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with a former student.
Boozer reached a plea deal and agreed to plead guilty to two counts of 3rd degree criminal sex crimes. As part of the plea deal, two other charges against the former teacher were dropped. She was also ordered to register as a sex offender, continue sex offender treatment and have no contact with her former student or his family.
Victim Said He and Boozer Had Sex 'Multiple Times' in Her Classroom
Boozer was facing up to 15 years in prison for having a relationship with her then 16-year-old student, Ryan Crue. Crue told FOX 2's Robin Murdoch his story in December 2020, three months before Boozer was to appear in court on the charges.
According to Crue, he had a sexual relationship with Boozer, who was his former Spanish teacher in 2014 when he was 16 and she was 28.
Crue told FOX 2 they had some form of sexual intercourse multiple times, sometimes in her own classroom at school. "We made a chore out of getting big sheets of black construction paper and covering every window in the classroom including even the small notch window in the door so there was no way to see in the classroom," he said.
Crue's Mother Alerted School Authorities, But Sheriff's Department Were Notified in 2019
Crue's mother, Nancy Hatalsky, who is also an educator, grew suspicious about the relationship between her son and Boozer and alerted school authorities, before she even realized that it was sexual.
The district said they investigated and contacted the Oakland County Sheriff's Department. However, then-undersheriff Mike McCabe said they weren't notified until 2019. "The statute says they need to call us. We are the ones, law enforcement determines whether it's credible or not," he said.
The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office continued to look into the case but chose not to pursue charges. After FOX 2's story aired, a new prosecutor was elected, the case was reviewed and Boozer was charged. Boozer had originally been charged with four counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and faced a maximum of 15 years in prison.
