A former Corpus Christi ISD teacher will avoid jail in a case involving her sending nude photos to an 11-year-old boy who was her student at Galvan Elementary.
Angela Barbosa was arrested in November 2020, and has been awaiting trial since. On Thursday, May 30, a judge granted her a plea deal and stated she will not be facing prison time, as reported by KIII-TV.
Following her arrest, Barbosa, who was a fifth-grade teacher, had admitted to engaging in the communications with the victim despite knowing he was a minor and also confessed to sending the victim nude images of herself and in turn, received a nude image from the minor.
Barbosa Sentenced to 10 Years of Probation, Ordered to Register as a Sex Offender
The plea deal is for 10 years of probation. If she breaks any conditions she could face up to 20 years in prison. She faced charges of possession with intent to promote child pornography and distribute harmful material to a minor.
Although she will not face time behind bars she is obligated to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life, lost her teaching license permanently, and will be monitored very closely.
Victim’s Mother Feels Justice was Denied
Sapphire Rodriguez, the mother of the 11-year-old boy, said she wasn’t happy with the result that came out of court.
“For it to be an elementary school student, there should have been a different type of punishment, and to me, it felt like a slap on the wrist for her,” Rodriguez said.
Nueces County District Attorney Jimmy Granberry said that for cases of this nature, multiple factors had to be examined. “She had already been under supervision for four years,” Granberry said. “We do not believe that she is an ongoing threat at this time.”
Rodriguez said she feels that justice was not served. “These boys go through things, things that we don’t know about and you’re putting it out there that you don’t care for them,” she said.
