ALBANY (NY)
Troy Record
Ryan T. Fitzpatrick, The Record 09/27/2005
ALBANY - Sandra Beth Geisel accepted a plea bargain Monday morning, significantly reducing the amount of time she could have spent in jail.
The deal includes a six-month jail sentence followed by 10 years probation for one count of third-degree rape. She also pleaded guilty to an unrelated misdemeanor DWI charge.
A grand jury had indicted the 42-year-old former Christian Brothers Academy English teacher on three counts of third-degree rape and one count of engaging in a criminal sexual act for having sex with a 16-year-old student. She originally pleaded not guilty to the charges, which combined could have resulted in more than 12 years in prison.
Albany County District Attorney David Soares Monday said Geisel did not get off with an easy sentence. "It's absolutely not a light sentence," he said. "A person who has never spent a day in jail will have to spend the next six months in the Albany County Correctional Facility."