ROCHESTER, Mich. – A Rochester teacher charged with having sex with two of her high school students, and giving one of those students drugs, has been sentenced to at least 4 years (51 months) in prison.
Kathryn Houghtaling, 26 at the time, was charged in Jan. 2019 with six counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second-degree. She was accused of having sexual relations with two boys, 16 and 17, multiple times at multiple locations. However, authorities said nothing happened at the school.
Houghtaling was a first-year teacher who taught special education at Rochester High School. She started teaching there in August 2018.
Prosecutors added a 7th charge of delivering a controlled substance. The judge said prosecutors have medical evidence supporting that one of the teens ingested Xanax given to him by Houghtaling.
Family members of both victims spoke at the sentencing, followed by a tearful Houghtaling who expressed remorse.
- Watch the hearing above.
“I have learned so much about myself and other people through this tough process. I’ve learned to take full responsibility for more my controllable actions and seek help for those that I cannot control,” she said.
Houghtaling agreed to a no-contest plea deal right before her trial started in January. The maximum sentence for the crimes is 15 years in prison, but it was not expected that she would be sentenced to serve above the minimum 51 months in prison.
Authorities said nothing happened at the school, and it’s unclear how long the alleged sexual relationships lasted. Sources say Houghtaling had sex with the boys at an apartment and one time in a car, while other students watched. One of the teens was a student in her class, prosecutors said.