MICHIGAN
International Business Times
By Philip Ross
A former Catholic high school Spanish teacher in southeastern Michigan has pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct for having sex with a 15-year-old student last year. Kathryn Ronk, 30, originally faced first-degree charges and already was serving time in prison when she appeared before a court Wednesday to plead to the lesser charges, according to the Associated Press. She had originally rejected the plea agreement in March.
Ronk had been sentenced to six to 15 years in prison in March for her crimes, having pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, but will face new sentencing on July 1. “You’re really very smart, an intelligent woman,” who had to have known what she was doing was wrong, Judge Nanci Grant told Ronk during her sentencing two months ago, according to The Detroit News.
Grant went on to address what she said was the “double standard” in sexual misconduct cases. “If this was a male teacher who had been involved with a 15-year-old female, there would be people here hanging from the ceiling trying to get every drop of blood,” said Grant, according to the Detroit News. “But because it is a woman, there seems to be a winking about what happened.”
Ronk was originally charged with five counts of criminal sexual conduct, including rape. Law enforcement said Ronk had engaged in sexual misconduct with a male student in classrooms at Bishop Foley High School in Madison Heights, Michigan.
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