Debra Lafave
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Debra Beasley Lafave (born Debra Jean Beasley August 28, 1980 and who re-adopted her maiden name legally following her divorce in 2005) of Riverview, Florida, was a reading teacher at Greco Middle School in Temple Terrace, Florida, and was charged with several counts of having sexual contact with a minor in Hillsborough County, Florida and Marion County, Florida. The Hillsborough County Board of Education first put Lafave on administrative duty, then suspended her later in July.
During the pretrial hearings, Lafave's attorney, John Fitzgibbons told the judge he needed more time to interview witnesses and review doctors' reports. He also told the judge he would be entering plea negotiations with the state to prevent the case from going to trial. "I think there would be a lot of advantages (of the plea bargain) for both the prosecution and the defense to resolve this case without a trial."
Lafave allegedly met the 14-year-old male student during a school trip, and had intercourse with him in her classroom, in her home, and in her car. In the last instance, the boy's 15 year old cousin was allegedly driving Lafave's vehicle near Ocala, Florida, while they had intercourse in the back seat. The cousin later reported the activity to the police. The county sheriff's office alleges the minor has identified a butterfly and Chinese characters tattooed on Lafave's body. Several media outlets have claimed Lafave was unhappy with her less-than-a-year-old marriage with Kristian Owen Lafave (aged 26), and had intercourse with the unnamed minor because "having sex with him was forbidden".
On July 18 Judge Wayne Timmerman set a trial date for December 5 at a court hearing after the prosecution and the defense could not agree on a plea bargain. After the hearing, defense attorney John Fitzgibbons was quoted as saying, “Negotiations have broken off and now it's going to trial. It's time to tee it up.” The prosecution's plea deal involved prison time and the defense found that unacceptable. "To place Debbie into a Florida state women's penitentiary, to place an attractive young woman in that kind of hell hole, is like putting a piece of raw meat in with the lions," Fitzgibbons said.
A sensational highlight to this case came to light in September 2005 when it was revealed that the Temple Terrace, FL, police ordered explicit nude photos be taken of Lafave's genital area while her feet were bound up in stirrups. The officer who ordered the photos was later charged with soliciting a prostitute and downloading pornography at work. He resigned after also being caught trying to cover up his actions on police department computers.
On November 22, 2005, she pleaded guilty to a single count and was sentenced to three years of Community Control (house arrest) and seven years of probation. Additionally, Judge Timmerman placed several restrictions on Ms. Lafave intended to keep her from profiting financially off of this case.
Owen LaFave has been asked to be a part of the documentary After School which will study the problems of teacher/student relationships. Owen has become an advocate and expert in this field and has appeared on over 50 television programs speaking out about what has happened.
Background
Lafave grew up in Hillsborough County and attended the nearby University of South Florida, majoring in English on a track for teacher certification. Lafave worked numerous odd jobs while at university, including a stint as a model for Makes and Models magazine, an automotive and motorcycle catalog.
She was sexually assaulted by another student on a near daily basis while in middle school. Also, one of her sisters was killed by a drunk driver while Debra was a teenager. Further, her parents transferred her to a different high school for her senior year after discovering she had a lesbian lover.
It was the sum of these incidents which greatly affected her mental stability, according to her attorney. Court records indicate Ms. Lafave has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
See also
Further reading
- Sager, Michele. The Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Florida), July 1, 2004, "Teacher's Past Offers Glimpse At Her Hopes For The Future" [1]
- Price, Mike. WCJB TV-20 News (Gainesville, Florida), June 28, 2004, "Teacher Accused of Sex with Student Turns Herself In" [2]