(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A former choir teacher at an Aurora high school has been sentenced to nine years in prison for having inappropriate sexual contact with a student.
Forty-three-year-old Nathan Bramstedt, who had taught at Metea Valley High School, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of criminal sexual assault.
The DuPage County State's Attorney's Office says Bramstedt must serve 85% of his sentence to be eligible for parole.
“Teachers are role models who students look up to and in whom parents place a great amount of trust,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said.
“Mr. Bramstedt abused this position of trust and authority in the worst possible way.”
The Daily Herald reports that the encounters between Bramstedt and the student began in 2019 when the girl was 17. A prosecutor said the victim had a mental health issue that Bramstedt took advantage of.
Friends and supporters of Bramstedt set up a page on social media, and Bramstedt has posted a message: "…I accepted a plea bargain, gaining closure. During my time away, I will continue to seek strength, joy, and renewal. I am being ‘deepened through diminishment.’”
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