The Dothan Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/W8y4Xo) that 44-year-old Robert Lee Michel was sentenced Wednesday to a total of 36 years in prison.
Circuit Judge Butch Binford ordered him to serve three eight-year sentences on charges of being a school employee and engaging in sexual acts with a student. He will also serve four three-year sentences after being convicted of having pornographic materials.
Michel was a long-time science teacher at Rehobeth High School.
His attorney argued that he had no prior record and the acts were part of a relationship, "as inappropriate as it was," with a 16-year-old girl.
District Attorney Doug Valeska said that as a teacher, "he had a trust that should never be violated."
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Information from: The Dothan Eagle, http://www.dothaneagle.com
