Teacher of the Year finalist is sentenced to a year in prison after admitting to having sex with an 18-year-old student. The adult victim says he didn’t want the teacher to be charged
A Teacher of the Year finalist was sentenced to a year in prison after admitting to having sex with an 18-year-old student.
Bridgette Doucette-Howell, 40, a former teacher at Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, New Hampshire, admitted to sexually assaulting the student in April and May 2021.
She was charged under a new law that does not take into account the age of the student, but instead holds those in power responsible for the crime.
The unidentified victim did not speak during a hearing Thursday, but made an impact statement to a Rockingham Superior Court judge, saying he did not want the teacher to face criminal charges.
“I do not want Bridgette to be criminally punished for our responses to our unhealthy living conditions,” the student wrote.
Bridgette Doucette-Howell, 40, a former teacher at Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, New Hampshire, admitted to sexually assaulting the student in April and May 2021
On Tuesday, she was sentenced to a year in prison after being indicted in March 2022 on three felony charges.
Despite his opposition to the charges, Doucette-Howell was sentenced to one year in prison.
Under her plea agreement, she will only have to serve a minimum of 14 days pending good behavior before being placed on administrative home detention for 50 weeks.
The attack took place in Kingston and Exeter between April 26 and May 22, 2021, when Doucette-Howell was working as a drama teacher at the school.
In March 2022, she was indicted on three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault for intercourse, and a lesser charge of criminal sexual assault for kissing the student.
Her criminal case was the first challenged in the state under the Howie Leung Maze Act.
The law, which was introduced in January 2021, “focuses on the influence of authority figures on relationships with students rather than on the age of the student,” according to Seacoast Media Group.
It was created following a case involving Concord High School teacher Primo “Howie” Leung, who allegedly kissed an adult student in a car.
At the time, without current state law, Leung was not charged with a crime.
The law also stipulates that the ‘consent of the victim’ will not be taken into account during the defense and applies until 10 months after the student’s ‘graduation or departure’.
The student attributed the final outcome to the way the case was handled and said Doucette-Howell helped him when he was suffering mentally.
The attacks took place in Kingston and Exeter between April 26 and May 22, 2021, when Doucette-Howell was working as a drama teacher at the school.
The student added that he and his family were “shocked” that Doucette-Howell was criminally charged and that “it should have stayed at the school level.”
“The way the case was handled by the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department was more traumatic than ever before,” the student wrote.
“The motives behind the actions Doucette-Howell is accused of are not only inaccurate, but do not describe who Bridgette is.”
“I needed someone who understood what I was going through, and Bridgette helped me through those tough times.”
The student added that he and his family were “shocked” that Doucette-Howell was facing criminal charges and that “it should have stayed at the school level.”
Rockingham County Sheriff Chuck Massahos said he was pleased with the outcome of the case.
“It was very important for us to see justice served today,” Massahos said.
‘We have put a lot of hours into this case. “I think we spent over 400 hours on this case just working with the state to make sure this case was presented appropriately,” he added.
Doucette-Howell’s attorney, Kurt Olsen, said he was also “fairly satisfied” with the outcome of the settlement his client received.
In 2016, Doucette-Howell, who taught history to students with special needs, was recognized as one of eight finalists for the Teacher of the Year Award presented by the New Hampshire Department of Education.
Under the deal, Doucette-Howell is not allowed to have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18, except her own children.
She must also pursue mental health counseling with a therapist certified by the Association for Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse.
During the guidance she must ‘follow all treatment advice sensibly’.
Once she is released from prison, Doucette-Howell must register as a sex offender, and if she leaves the state, she must register there and comply with local laws.
In 2016, Doucette-Howell, who taught history to students with special needs, was recognized as one of eight finalists for the Teacher of the Year Award presented by the New Hampshire Department of Education.
She told it earlier to the Union Leader of New Hampshire: “I was a student with a disability, so I understand the struggles that many kids face in the classroom every day.”
“To me, these kids aren’t really special needs, they just learn differently. Everyone learns at their own pace and in their own way.’