SC Teacher Sentenced to 10 Years for Having Sex with Student

Wendie Ann Schweikert is a 37 year old woman who is a former elementary school teacher. She previously taught at E.B. Morse Elementary School. She was arrested back in May 2006 for illegally having sexual conduct with a minor. Schweikert was also charged with committing a lewd act on a minor in Laurens and Greenville counties, according to the Associated Press.

On Friday, Schweikert plead guilty to all the charges and apologized to the victim and his family. She was offered a plea deal with an estimate of about 15 years of prison time, but she turned it down and decided to take her chances with the judge. The judge sentenced her to 10 years in prison. According to state law Schweikert will also have to register as a sexual offender. Before the sentencing was handed down, the victims mother spoke with the judge and seem to be pleased with the punishment.

Many of the citizens with in the town were not happy with the way the trial was handled or the amount of time she was sentenced too. The case had some racial issues since there were two white teachers charged with criminal sexual conduct against male students who were all African American. The Rev. David Kennedy explained to The State Newspaper "In these types of situations, judges just think about the white female and couldn't care less about the black child," adding that he spoke with the victim's mother after the sentencing and said she thought the teacher should have gotten more time. The whole town as stirred up because the teachers were allowed out on bail.