An Oklahoma teacher has been sentenced to prison months after she was charged with rape for engaging in sexual acts with three of her former students.
In May, as KFOR reports, high school teacher Janet Kaye Barnes was indicted on two counts of second-degree rape and one count of sexual battery after the 44-year-old had sexual encounters with three of her students.
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The former Pocola High School teacher reportedly engaged in sex with two of the minors between 2014 and 2016. It was also during this time, as 5 News reports, that Barnes “committed sexual battery” against another student.
Teacher Given Maximum Sentence for Raping Two Students
However, students have made claims against Barnes for years before that. According to 5 News, in 2010, a student claimed Barnes asked him to have sex and sent him nude photos for months. The student told authorities it felt like Barnes was “stalking him.”
Barnes pleaded guilty to outraging public decency for her behavior toward the student. She was handed a nine-month suspended sentence, forced to pay $400 in fines, and was ordered to stay away from the student.
In December 2019, Barnes was given the maximum sentence for her latest crimes. According to reports, in the state of Oklahoma second-degree rape has a term of imprisonment “no less than one year and no more than fifteen years,” while the sexual battery charge carries a term of imprisonment “no more than 10 years.”
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As People reports, after pleading guilty to the two charges of rape and sexual battery charge, Barnes was sentenced to 15 years for each rape charge and 10 years for sexual battery.
However, Barnes will only serve 15 years in prison, according to court documents. As People explains, each of the 15 years will be served simultaneously, and the 10 years for sexual battery was suspended and will instead be served as 10 years probation.
Barnes is currently being held in the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center. She has also been registered as a sex offender.