A 33-year-old Folsom man was sentenced this afternoon after pleading guilty to multiple charges in June in connection to an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old female student, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.
Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Rodney Cunningham sentenced William Jacobs to five years in a New Jersey state prison and he must serve two years before he is eligible for parole pursuant to his guilty plea to Official Misconduct. Jacobs will also serve a concurrent five years flat in a New Jersey state prison for Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Judge Cunningham ordered forfeiture of Jacobs’ current and future public employment. Jacobs, who worked as a teacher at Buena Regional High School, also agreed to the revocation of his teaching certification after pleading guilty to Official Misconduct and Endangering the Welfare of a Child in connection to an inappropriate relationship with the female student.
According to authorities, on February 22, 2017, New Jersey State Police arrested Jacobs and during the investigation, detectives from the Troop “A” Criminal Investigations Office determined that from November 2016 to January 2017, Jacobs met with the student on more than one occasion and engaged in sexual relations.
Investigators also discovered several hundred electronic communications between the two. When Jacobs became aware of the investigation, detectives allege that he urged the victim not to cooperate with investigators.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Flammer prosecuted the case.
“Today’s sentencing brings some measure of closure to a young woman and her family. The consequences the defendant faced today for his actions in engaging in a wholly unacceptable relationship with his student is one of his own making. He was her teacher and he should have known better,” Chief Assistant Prosecutor Flammer said
Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page.
People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.