Teh One Who Knocks
07-20-2011, 12:45 AM
Attorney Says Students Took Advantage Of Schuler's 'Impairment'
WLWT Cincinnati
http://i.imgur.com/20Skr.jpg
MASON -- A former Mason teacher has changed her plea in a case where she is accused of having sex with students.
Stacy Schuler's attorney filed a motion Tuesday changing her plea from not guilty to not guilty by reason of insanity.
The 33-year-old Schuler was a physical education teacher at Mason High School when she was indicted in February on 16 counts of sexual battery and three counts of providing alcohol to a minor.
Prosecutors alleged the incidents involved five male students and took place between August and December of last year.
Schuler's attorney, Charlie Rittgers, said his client became "impaired and thereby unable to prevent the young men from taking advantage of her."
Rittgers said the young men involved in the case traveled across Warren County to take advantage of this unspecified impairment.
"Stacy Schuler's defense from a legal standpoint is based upon her inability to protect herself from the young men involved in this case," Rittgers said in a statement.
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said Wednesday he thinks the plea change is interesting because Schuler earlier denied that the alleged offenses occurred.
"For a period of six months what we've heard are outright denials that these events ever happened, basically that the allegations made by these juvenile students were false," Fornshell said.
Former Butler County assistant prosecutor Jason Phillabaum said the timing of the change will probably require explanation.
"They can file these at any time, but they're going to have to show good reason why it was filed this late," Phillabaum said.
"Sex crimes are very difficult to talk about from both victim and defendant's point of view," Phillabaum said. "Maybe she disclosed something only recently that (her attorney) was able to act upon. Maybe the defense had a private evaluation done first to see if it would warrant an official filing."
Phillabaum said only 2 percent of all defendants file an insanity plea, and only a third of those are successful.
"Most of those cases are usually in some type of violent crime or something of that nature," Phillabaum said. "Having a sex crime is pretty rare."
Schuler was scheduled to go on trial in May, but her attorneys asked for more time to prepare her case. It is now scheduled for Aug. 8.
Schuler resigned shortly after she was indicted. She remains free on bond and is on house arrest at her parents' home.
WLWT Cincinnati
http://i.imgur.com/20Skr.jpg
MASON -- A former Mason teacher has changed her plea in a case where she is accused of having sex with students.
Stacy Schuler's attorney filed a motion Tuesday changing her plea from not guilty to not guilty by reason of insanity.
The 33-year-old Schuler was a physical education teacher at Mason High School when she was indicted in February on 16 counts of sexual battery and three counts of providing alcohol to a minor.
Prosecutors alleged the incidents involved five male students and took place between August and December of last year.
Schuler's attorney, Charlie Rittgers, said his client became "impaired and thereby unable to prevent the young men from taking advantage of her."
Rittgers said the young men involved in the case traveled across Warren County to take advantage of this unspecified impairment.
"Stacy Schuler's defense from a legal standpoint is based upon her inability to protect herself from the young men involved in this case," Rittgers said in a statement.
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said Wednesday he thinks the plea change is interesting because Schuler earlier denied that the alleged offenses occurred.
"For a period of six months what we've heard are outright denials that these events ever happened, basically that the allegations made by these juvenile students were false," Fornshell said.
Former Butler County assistant prosecutor Jason Phillabaum said the timing of the change will probably require explanation.
"They can file these at any time, but they're going to have to show good reason why it was filed this late," Phillabaum said.
"Sex crimes are very difficult to talk about from both victim and defendant's point of view," Phillabaum said. "Maybe she disclosed something only recently that (her attorney) was able to act upon. Maybe the defense had a private evaluation done first to see if it would warrant an official filing."
Phillabaum said only 2 percent of all defendants file an insanity plea, and only a third of those are successful.
"Most of those cases are usually in some type of violent crime or something of that nature," Phillabaum said. "Having a sex crime is pretty rare."
Schuler was scheduled to go on trial in May, but her attorneys asked for more time to prepare her case. It is now scheduled for Aug. 8.
Schuler resigned shortly after she was indicted. She remains free on bond and is on house arrest at her parents' home.