Jun 12, 2008 10:31 am US/Central
Ex-Teacher Admits Fondling 2 Girls
CROWN POINT, Ind. (Post-Tribune) ―
A former Gary middle school teacher admitted he fondled two girls in the classroom.
Donald Pennington, 60, of Gary, pleaded guilty Wednesday before Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr., who took the plea agreement under advisement and scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 23.
Pennington admitted that between Dec. 1, 2006, and March 30, 2007, he fondled the girls, who were 12 and 13 years old at the time. The crimes occurred at Bailly Middle School in Gary, where Pennington was a teacher.
The plea agreement allows Deputy prosecutor Summer Hall and defense attorney John Davis to argue their positions for an appropriate sentence. Pennington faces a maximum three-year sentence.
In exchange for his guilty plea, more serious felony charges of child molesting and sexual misconduct with a minor, both punishable by a two- to eight-year prison sentence, will be dropped.
(CBS 2 and the Post-Tribune are news partners covering stories in the communities of northwest Indiana. Send story tips to tips@cbs2chicago.com. (© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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