Lisa McLoughlin
A teacher in Texas who admitted to having sex with a 13-year-old boy in her classroom has had her sentence delayed after she gave birth.
Marka Bodine will be jailed for just 60 days for sexually abusing the teen – but prosecutors had hoped for a sentence of up to 40 years in prison.
The 32-year-old met the victim while teaching English at Tomball Intermediate School, 33 miles north of Houston.
The boy told police that their interaction first began when Bodine started chatting to him via online video game Fortnite, but soon they took their conversation offline and started texting, where things became explicit.
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Shortly after he turned 13, the pair had sex, according to court documents obtained by the New York Post.
The abuse continued for three years, with the teenager telling investigators that he and Bodine had sex in her classroom as well as her car on several occasions.
While the inappropriate relationship unravelled, Bodine allegedly divorced her husband and moved into an apartment complex where her victim lived.
The abuse was brought to light after she told school authorities that she was being harassed by a former student, who was threatening to harm himself.
Local authorities subsequently searched Bodine and the boy’s phones where they found the explicit messages, including inappropriate pictures and videos.
She later admitted to Police that she had sex with the young man, who is now 16.
Bodine was charged with one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child – but her sentencing has been delayed following the recent birth of her baby. The teen is not the father of the child.
Along with 60 days in jail, Bodine will have to register as a sex offender.
Previously discussing the case, Tomball Police Chief Jeff Bert told KRIV in April 2021: “‘Most of the investigation indicates it’s been about two and a half to three years.
“It does appear that this is one of those cases where grooming of the child was involved, in other words, getting the person to be feel trusted initially”.
Speaking of the impact on the victim, Bert added: “It was definitely a cry out for help. He had reached out to a school, and he reached out to the police department as well, so I think he just became overwhelmed with it and reached out to us”.
At the time, Tomball Independent School District said in a statement that once the allegations came to light Bodine was 'placed on administrative leave, resigned' and was no longer employed with them.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on their website or on their free helpline 0808 800 5005, open 9am–5pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 8am–8pm Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10am–2pm Saturdays