Former Golden West High School Teacher Eric Ford was sentenced to a year in jail today for having sex with a 17 year old student.
On Monday she wanted to tell us why she forgave him for the crime.
A former Golden West High School teacher who was convicted of three counts of having sex with a minor showed no reaction as a judge ordered him to a serve a year in jail. The victim was a 17-year-old student of his at the time of his arrest last September.
The victim, now 18-years old, showed up to the 50-year old's sentencing and came to his defense. Action News has chosen not to show her face or reveal her name.
"He had a lot of courage to go to my family and apologize. And I'm not going to say it was only his fault it was mine too I knew he was a teacher he was my teacher and I can't explain, I can't explain what happened," she said.
The student says while she's considered the victim she doesn't feel that way. She says she was angry when she saw him being handcuffed and hopes that even with a judge ordering them not to communicate except through an attorney they remain friends. She says they are not in a relationship now.
"No we're friends, we're friends and I really hope that this friendship lasts long I don't care if we can't talk right now we will sometime someday," she said.
Despite the victim's warm feelings towards Ford the judge felt differently. He says the former business teacher, whose wife and children also taught and attended Golden West High School, took advantage of an innocent victim while he was in a position of public trust.
Ford's attorney told Action News he will be applying for a work release program for his client to try and get him to complete his sentence out of custody.
