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Landmark ruling! Alabama judge dismisses charges against Carrie Witt, David Solomon, teachers accused of having sex with students as unconstitutional 

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div><header id&equals;"ra-headers">&NewLine;<h3><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;808080&semi;"><strong><em>&&num;8216&semi;Ground breaking ruling on Teacher-Student sex in Alabama&excl;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;em><&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;"><strong>Alabama judge dismisses charges against teacher accused of having sex with students as unconstitutional <&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;"><strong>Carrie Cabri Witt&comma;  social studies teacher at Decatur High School in Decatur&comma; Alabama&comma; was arrested in 2016<&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;"><strong>Witt&comma; 44&comma; was charged with two counts of  having deviant sexual intercourse with a student under the age of 19&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;"><strong>The two male students were ages of 17 and 18 <&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;"><strong>Judge Thompson friday dismissed the case against the coach for the girls’ golf team and junior varsity cheerleading team at Decatur High<&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;"><strong>He ruled that the law forbidding sexual activity between consenting ages was too broad<&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;"><strong>Prosecution most prove the teacher was in a position of authority over her students<&sol;strong><&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><strong><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;">Thompson also dismissed case against 27-year-old teacher David Thomas Solomon charged with having sex with female student&comma; 17&comma; at Falkville High <&sol;span><&sol;strong><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;">School in March of 2016<&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;0d0000&semi;">Witt was suspended from her teaching job in March 2016&comma; but still continues to earn her salary<&sol;span><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<&sol;header>&NewLine;<div id&equals;"ra-body-wrap">&NewLine;<aside id&equals;"ra-left">&NewLine;<section class&equals;"ra-meta"><&sol;section>&NewLine;<&sol;aside>&NewLine;<article id&equals;"ra-body">&NewLine;<h6 class&equals;"ra-caption"><img class&equals;"alignnone size-full wp-image-233552" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;08&sol;carrie-witt-11&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Carrie Witt 1" width&equals;"1200" height&equals;"936" &sol;>Carrie Witt&comma; 44&comma; was charged with having sex with two students between the ages of 16 and 19 while she taught at Decatur High School&period; The case against her was dismissed on Friday as unconstitutional<&sol;h6>&NewLine;<p>An Alabama judge dismissed the state&&num;8217&semi;s case against a teacher accused of having sex with two students The 44-year-old woman saw charges against her dismissed on the grounds that the charges based on violating a law prohibiting school employees from having sex with students is unconstitutional&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The order could have statewide ramifications&comma; as the Morgan County judge&comma; Friday dismissed charges against another defendant on the similar grounds&comma;as well&period; Carrie Witt&comma; who was a teacher at Decatur High School&comma; and David Solomon&comma; who was a contract teacher at Falkville High School&comma; both got on the equivalent of a judicial lotto&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;<img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-233653" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;08&sol;carrie-cabri-witt-3&period;png" alt&equals;"Carrie Cabri Witt 3&period;png" width&equals;"643" height&equals;"798" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h6><strong>Free to go&colon; The judge ruled the prosecution case against the accused teacher&comma; Carrie  Witt was too broad and &&num;8216&semi;unconstitutional&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<h6><strong><img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-233663" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;08&sol;decatur-high-school-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Decatur High School 1&period;jpg" width&equals;"760" height&equals;"587" &sol;>Carrie Witt was suspended from her teaching job at Decatur High School in March 2016&comma; but still continues to earn her salary<&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<p>One of the teachers&comma; Carrie Witt&comma; in March was charged with having sex with two students between the ages of 16 and 19 while she taught at Decatur High School&period; Morgan County Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson on Thursday dismissed both charges without prejudice&comma; which means the state can still refile&comma; <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;whnt&period;com&sol;2017&sol;08&sol;10&sol;decatur-teacher-accused-of-sex-with-students-gets-charges-thrown-out-as-unconstitutional&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">WHNT<&sol;a> reported&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;In Alabama&comma; the age of consent is 16&comma; though the law prohibits teachers from having sex with students under the age of 19&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Judge Thompson in a 5-page ruling wrote the law forbidding sexual activity between consenting ages was too broad&comma; adding the prosecution most prove the teacher was in a position of authority over her students if they want charges to stick&comma; according to the news station&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The court acknowledges that a disparity of power may inherently exist in a teacher&sol;student relationship&comma; but it clearly does not exist between every school employee and student regardless of where the student is enrolled&comma;” the judge wrote&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;By eliminating the requirement that the state show a position of authority&comma; grooming&comma; abuse&comma; coercion&comma; or lack of consent&comma; the state criminalizes behaviors outside the state’s legitimate purpose&period;”<br &sol;>&NewLine;Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson told <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;decaturdaily&period;com&sol;news&sol;morgan&lowbar;county&sol;morgan-judge-dismisses-sex-with-student-cases-one-involved-decatur&sol;article&lowbar;c4297703-cce4-5813-86d9-2c492a3755e0&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">Decatur Daily<&sol;a> he &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;respectfully disagrees with the court’s ruling” and that he intends to file an appeal&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h6><strong><img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-233600" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;08&sol;alabama-teacher-student-ex-order&period;png" alt&equals;"Alabama Teacher-Student ex Order&period;png" width&equals;"721" height&equals;"840" &sol;>For full transcript of Alabama Teacher-Student sex Order click here <a title&equals;"Alabama teache-student sex order" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;08&sol;alabama-teache-student-sex-order&period;pdf">Alabama teacher-student sex order<&sol;a><&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<p>The 44-year-old teacher allegedly had sex with a 17-year-old male student and then had another relationship with an 18-year-old&period; She was suspended from her teaching job in March 2016&comma; but still continues to earn her salary&comma; according to the newspaper&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Her attorney&comma; Robert Tuten&comma; argued the students were not under her direct authority when the relationships occurred and that they were both over the age of consent&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The judge cited a Kansas law in his ruling&comma; pointing out that it specifically bars relationships between students and officials when students are enrolled at the school&period; Alabama law offers no such stipulation&comma; according to WHNT&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Thompson in his ruling noted the &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Court does not endeavor to absolve any wrongdoing&comma;” but said it’s an overstep to immediately deny all possibilities of a consensual relationship&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It is this court&&num;8217&semi;s finding that the law grants these students the capacity to consent until and unless there is some showing that authority was used to obtain illegitimate or coerced consent&comma;” he wrote&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;If no such position of authority is alleged&comma; the defendant must be permitted to show consent as a defense&period;”<br &sol;>&NewLine;He also dismissed charges against David Solomon&comma; a former teaching aide at Falkville High School who was accused with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h6><strong><img class&equals;"alignnone wp-image-233679" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2017&sol;08&sol;david-solomon-2&period;png" alt&equals;"David Solomon 2&period;png" width&equals;"730" height&equals;"799" &sol;>27-year-old teacher David Thomas Solomon had his teacher-student sex case dismissed&comma; Friday<&sol;strong><&sol;h6>&NewLine;<p>Huntsville resident&comma; David Solomon&comma; 27&comma; was fired by the company he worked for after his March 29&comma; 2016&comma; arrest on one count of a school employee having sex with a student&period;  He was 25 at the time&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;According to Hartselle police Sgt&period; Alan McDearmond&comma; Solomon in his case was employed as a teacher at the same school in which the student was enrolled&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8220&semi;They met at the school&comma; but communicated through Facebook&comma;&&num;8221&semi; McDearmond said&period;&&num;8221&semi;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Judge Thompson dismissed the charges without prejudice&comma; which means the state can refile them&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&&num;8220&semi;In order for justice to be served&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Thompson wrote&comma; &&num;8220&semi;the State must prove that a defendant&sol;employee was actually in a position of authority over the victim&sol;student and that the position of authority was abused to obtain consent&period;&&num;8221&semi;<br &sol;>&NewLine;Thompson wrote that&comma; in finding the law unconstitutional as applied to the defendants&comma; &&num;8220&semi;this Court does not endeavor to absolve any wrongdoing or to excuse the Defendants&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"subscriber-preview"><&sol;div>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"subscriber-only"><&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;article>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;

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