FORT COLLINS, Colo.—A former teacher who pleaded guilty to having sexual contact with an underage student during a school trip was sentenced Friday to 45 days in jail.
Carrie McCandless, 30, pleaded guilty in April to charges of unlawful sexual conduct, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and tampering with physical evidence.
Prosecutors said the illegal contact took place in Estes Park in October 2005, when McCandless was 29 and the student was 17.
The contributing charge stemmed from allegations she gave the teen alcohol, and the tampering charge was filed after prosecutors accused her of contacting the teen after her arrest in violation of her bail conditions.
McCandless was fired from her job at Brighton Charter School, where her husband, Chris, is principal.
The teen, Tommy Clay, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show in March, saying he and McCandless were friends and their relationship “got a little bit more intimate.” He said they once exchanged 76 text messages in a single day.
