DENVER -- A former teacher at Prairie Middle School who pleaded guilty earlier this year to sexually assaulting or “sexting” with the students was sentenced to 40 years to life on five counts, including sexual assault on children by a person in a position of trust, by a judge on Friday.
Brian Vasquez, 35, was originally charged with 41 felonies before a plea deal took place back in July. The remaining charges were dropped. He had previously pleaded not guilty to all 41 counts.
Vasquez was arrested in August 2017 at the middle school, which is part of the Cherry Creek School District, after an investigation uncovered that he’d had inappropriate relationships with students of his at the school. He'd exchanged nude photos with several of them and had contact with at least one, prosecutors said.
The Cherry Creek School District announced Monday it had reached an $11.5 million settlement with the families of the five victims in the case.
Vasquez was fired in September after seven years as a social studies teacher and a coach in the “Destination Imagination” program. His arrest prompted charges of failure to report being filed against several school administrators, which are still being adjudicated.
