High school teacher in Fresno gets jail for sending explicit messages to student, 15
A former Central High School-West teacher was sentenced Tuesday to two years probation and 180 days in the Fresno County Jail for sending explicit sexual messages to a 15-year-old student.
Fabian Botero, 31, was arrested last March and pleaded guilty in October to contacting a minor to commit a sexual offense. The chemistry teacher is alleged to have “exchanged graphic messages with a 15-year-old girl” through emails, text messages and voice calls, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Botero’s attorney Marshall Hodgkins tried to convince Judge Adolfo Corona to give his client no jail time, saying it will likely cost him his job. Botero was most recently a chemistry instructor at Fullerton College.
Hodgkins asked the judge if Botero could serve his sentence in the adult offender work program. Hodgkins also argued that Botero’s diagnosis of autism and his lack of criminal history should be considered mitigating factors.
“He has tried everything he could to deal with this,” Hodgkins said.
Botero said his diagnosis of autism has made him realize he had a “deep misunderstanding ” of the world around him. But he never meant to intentionally hurt anyone.
He told the judge he was also willing to accept his punishment. “As an honorable man, I am willing to accept the consequences of my actions,” Botero said.
Prosecutor David Olmos agreed, but he argued Botero’s punishment should include some jail time, even if was just county jail instead of prison. He said the victim’s life has been seriously affected in a negative way.
“He needs to be held accountable,” Olmos said.
Corona sentenced Botero to two years of formal probation, 180 days in county jail and stayed an 18-month prison sentence. That means if Botero violates the terms of his probation, he could be sent to prison.
After the hearing, Botero was immediately taken into custody to begin serving his sentence.
A news release issued shortly after Botero’s arrest said Botero admitted to initiating the inappropriate behavior in September 2018. The student and Botero then began communicating on a regular basis as Botero continued to make sexual advances toward the girl through texts and phone calls.
Their communication continued through January 2019 and then stopped for unknown reasons. There was also no evidence to show Botero and the student engaged in any physical activity
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 1:10 PM with the headline "High school teacher in Fresno gets jail for sending explicit messages to student, 15."
