Former teacher Tommy Stoutamire gets jail time in plea deal

Former Sneads High School teacher Tommy Stoutamire pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple charges related to offenses against four of his female students, accepting a deal that will put him behind bars for just under a year.
Stoutamire pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse, two counts of false imprisonment, one count of battery, and three counts of lewd and lascivious molestation in the case.

To view the court documents in this case, click here.

All the incidents cited in court occurred in 2007, according to court officials. Stoutamire was teaching agriculture at SHS when the case investigation began in May of last year. He also sponsored the school’s FFA and had 25 years of experience as a teacher. He resigned his post shortly after the investigation began.
Stoutamire, who lives in Liberty County, was sentenced to serve 11 months and 29 days in the Liberty County jail.  He will be on probation for an additional 14 years under the terms of the plea agreement.
He will be required to give up his teaching certificate/license, and never seek employment in the field again, according to the terms of the plea.
Stoutamire wrote a letter apologizing to the girls as part of the deal.
Although they were named in his letter, which was addressed to prosecutor Heather Lane, only their initials will be used here because they are all juveniles.
“I want to express my sincere apologies to CM, KB, MY and LH,” his letter reads. “Each of these young ladies have suffered this past year in school and in the community and have done nothing to deserve the treatment. I accept responsibility for my actions and for the hurt the actions have caused not only to these four ladies but the Sneads community as well. I urge all involved to allow these girls to attend school in peace and understand they have done nothing wrong. It is with great regret I move forward with my life today. I understand and accept the punishment of the Court and I will work to earn the trust of my family, friends, loved ones yet again.”
He was sentenced as a sex offender, and must comply with a number of requirements related to that status.
David York, the father of one victim, said he had at first wanted to see Stoutamire sent to prison rather than a county jail, but that after more than a year of dealing with the trauma, the family finally decided to accept the plea in order to get on with their lives. Some of the offenses carried possible penalties of up to 15 years in prison.
York said he expects to seek civil relief in the case, both against Stoutamire individually and against the school system.
He and wife Margie, the victim’s mother, have retained lawyer Chris Young to handle their civil cases.
In court Tuesday prior to sentencing, Margie York read from a written statement addressed to Stoutamire.
“It is so hard for me to stand here and be calm after what you did to my daughter,” she said. “There are no words to express what we have suffered this past year because of your actions. You know, this letter of apology you are giving my daughter today could have been written a year ago and even though it would not have taken away what you did, maybe it would have stopped some of the harassment she has had to endure this past school year from not only classmates, but from teachers as well. All because she stood up and told the truth. But when I become overwhelmed by the anger and hurt, I remember that my Lord will always have the last word, he is the Beginning and the End. Even though I do not have the resources to get myself out of this problem, I know He will deliver me. I pray that you can make peace with God for your actions.”
Stoutamire was fingerprinted at the close of the court proceeding and taken into custody immediately. His lawyer had asked Circuit Judge Bill Wright to give his client two weeks to clear up personal matters and undergo a medical procedure before starting his sentence, but Wright declined.