Twenty years ago retired Rich District teacher, Mike
Williamson who was then 40 years old, had a four year sexual relationship with
a 13 year girl, a minor, a student of his at Rich Middle School and Rich High
School. She was also a friend of one of
his daughters. In an emotional
statement, Williamson asked for forgiveness and gave a talk about the atonement
of Christ.
He cited his “mistake” which
caused Judge Tom Wilmore to verbally jump all over him saying it was not
“mistake” it was a crime. Wilmore also
chastised friends and family members who wrote glowing letters about
Williamson’s value to the community and the schools in spite of his one
“mistake”.
The victim was allowed to respond and in a hushed and choked
voice began to detail the serious offenses and the fear and betrayal that she
felt when a beloved teacher began to molest her over and over for four years and
threaten her with her family’s future and his family’s future happiness if she
told anyone. She said “you used me for
four years and tossed me away. And then you sentenced me to a life sentence of
fear, self-loathing, confusion and trauma.”
Her husband, with barely concealed rage, gave his testimony about
the phone call to Williamson that they recorded as the victim confronted
Williamson. He said that Williamson said
that their relationship had helped him be a better father and husband and that
he thought she would be a better wife and mother because of it. “How can that be when we both now live in
fear when our three kids go for a school or church activity. How can it be when
our marriage had this secret that only came out two years ago that my beloved
wife had held hurting in her heart? You
have had your life for 20 years, you have been allowed to retire and to enjoy
your grandchildren…this is still happening to my wife every day.” At this point, one of the victim’s sisters
began to sob and the judge ordered her to leave the court.
The County Attorney and Williamson’s attorneys plead that
because he has stage 4 prostate cancer he should be sentenced to 210 days in
the Rich County Jail so that he could get medical attention. They said because of the type of cancer, he
was not a danger to anyone else and that he had done a lot of good in the
community.
The judge said that he had been wrestling with this for a
long time. He said however, this was a
heinous crime against the noble profession of teaching and a crime against the
community as well as a crime against a little girl, a child, a minor by someone who, as a teacher, he was responsible to protect.
Judge Wilmore said
that he wanted to send a clear message and create a deterrence, so Mike
Williamson having plead guilty of sexual misconduct with a minor was sentenced
to 1-15 years for the first count and 0 to 5 for the second count to run
concurrently at the Utah State Prison.
Williamson was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom to the sobs of
both families.
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