Music Teacher Sentenced to 90 Days In Jail For Child Annoyance
A Santa Ana high school music teacher has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and has been ordered to register as a sex offender for child annoyance involving a 16-year-old student in his campus office during school hours, The Orange County Register reports. An Orange County jury convicted 40-year-old Bijon Savero Watson in May of three misdemeanor counts.
Prosecutors alleged that Watson, director the jazz program at the Orange County School of the Arts, knew the girl when she was 12 and worked to gain her and her family’s trust over the years. While appearing to be sympathetic to her, Watson kissed and fondled the girl, sent her sexually suggestive text messages and then tried to force her to perform sex acts, prosecutors said. Watson was not charged with felonies because the girl was 16 at the time of the crimes and because sexual conduct with a girl who was at least 16 is not considered “substantial by law.”
Sex crime charges – even misdemeanors as in this particular case – can be extremely serious. Consider what happened to this teacher. He not only got 90 days in jail, but he must register as a sex offender wherever he goes for the rest of his life. The stigma of a "sex offender" follows you for the rest of your life.
That’s why you need an experienced and skilled criminal defense attorney, who will find inadequacies in the prosecution’s case. A lot of times, child sex abuse cases are spurred by wrong accusations and misunderstandings. If you have been accused of a child sex abuse crime, please call the Law Office of Stephen Brodsky to schedule your free and confidential consultation today.
