Christopher Thomas as he appeared in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. He was sentenced Wednesday to 153 years in prison.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 31-year-old junior high school teacher was sentenced to 153 years in prison Wednesday in Common Pleas Court for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old student.
Christopher Thomas of Eastlake taught at Wiley Middle School in University Heights, and prosecutors said between June 2008 and November 2009, he used his cell phone to send text messages of a sexual nature and nude photographs to two 14-year-old female students.
Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office spokeswoman Maria Russo said Thomas directed the students to text him nude photos, which led him to performing sex acts on one of the victims at his home and her house.
On Nov. 10, 2009, Thomas was arrested at work and police seized his BlackBerry phone. A search warrant was then executed at his residence in Eastlake, where the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force seized his computers.
A forensic analysis of his cell phone and computers found nude photos of both victims. Thomas pleaded no contest on Oct. 20 this year and was found guilty of one count of sexual battery, 22 counts of illegal use of a minor in nude-oriented material or performance, seven counts of importuning, six counts of endangering children, and one count of possessing criminal tools.