Former teacher pleads guilty to sex with students, receives 10-year sentence
Published 12:15 pm Wednesday, March 16, 2016
- On April 30, Ashli Gilley, a 32-year-old teacher at Williams Intermediate School, was charged with sexual misconduct involving a student. She has resigned her position and is being held on a $100,000 bond.
On Monday, March 14, a former Pell City teacher pled guilty to committing sex acts with two students under the age of 19.
According to court records, Ashli Gilley, 32, turned herself into authorities in April 2015 following an investigation by the Pell City Police Department. Gilley was a language arts teacher at Williams Intermediate School in Pell City at the time. She turned in her resignation to the Pell City School System following the announcement of the charges.
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The offenses, according to authorities, did not involve students from her school, did not happen during school hours and did not occur on school property.
Public information Officer Sgt. Don Newton confirmed that School Resource Officer (SRO) Jessie Burgos filed the initial complaint after working closely with the St. Clair County District Attorney’s Office and Pell City School Superintendent Dr. Michael Barber.
“[Burgos is] a point of contact for the schools, and he served as the liaison as the Department’s detectives got involved,” Newton said. “It’s an example of how comfortable relationships between our schools and officers can effectively serve the community.”
The original complaint states that Gilley “intentionally and knowingly engaged with a male or female student under the age of 19 in a sex act defined as sexual intercourse with any penetration, however slight.” Burgos listed the incident as occurring “on or about 11/01/2104.”
Newton said the investigation uncovered that more than one student was involved and developed a strong case against Gilley. Gilley issued a plea of not guilty in June 2015.
Monday, Gilley’s case was scheduled for a jury trial before St. Clair County Circuit Judge Phillip Seay. But, in accordance with a plea arrangement Seay received the same day, he sentenced Gilley to serve two, 10-year sentences concurrently (simultaneously) as punishment for two Class B felonies, listed on the arrangement as School Employee Sex Act with a Student.
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As Gilley has no prior felonies, the Class B offenses are recommended to have penalties between 2 and 20 years in a state penitentiary, and up to three years can be served in a county jail.
Seay scheduled a probation hearing for Gilley on June 2.
