Ex-teacher sentenced in child sex cases

Friday, Jan. 16, 2004 | 9:47 a.m.

A former elementary school teacher accused of having sex with female students was sentenced to prison on Thursday in District Court.

District Judge Michael Cherry sentenced John Richard Sinchak, 36, to two to five years in prison on one felony count of attempted lewdness with a child under 14.

The judge also sentenced Sinchak to one year in prison on each of two open or gross lewdness charges, both misdemeanors, but those charges will run concurrently. Sinchak was also ordered to pay $360 in restitution.

Sinchak pleaded guilty to the charges in August. He entered the equivalent of a no-contest plea, which allowed him to maintain his innocence but admit prosecutors have a strong case against him.

Sinchak is accused of using his authority and position to seduce students into sexual relationships with him. The students all attend Garehime Elementary School, where Sinchak taught a combined fourth-fifth grade class.

Sinchak was arrested in August 2002 after four students accused him of inappropriate behavior. Several of the girls were friends of Sinchak's 9-year-old daughter.

In exchange for Sinchak's guilty plea, prosecutors dropped seven additional counts of lewdness with a child under 15.