Allanah Benton-Wells Could Get 25 Years for Teacher Student Sex
Benton-Wells faces up to 25 years in prison after a jury convicted her of first-degree criminal conduct.
Authorities say Benton-Wells had sex with the boy in 2007, when she was tutoring him outside school hours. The boy's parents reported their suspicions to Williams Elementary School in Flint, where she was a teacher.
The school notified police who began investigating the claim and Benton-Wells was placed on paid leave in Nov. 2007. According to the The Flint Journal during an interview with police in Dec. 2007, Benton-Wells' then husband expressed concern about her relationship with the boy - by Jan. 2008 their divorce was finalized.
The boy testified during a preliminary hearing in Dec. 2008 that the affair began around Halloween 2007 and that they had been caught when his mother found a recording of a telephone conversation he had accidentally made, according to The Flint Journal. They boy's name has never been released.
Benton-Wells' defense attorney did not return calls from the Associated Press on Tuesday but during the trial he claimed that the mother overreacted when she heard the tape and yelled at the boy until he told her about the sexual encounter. Benton-Wells maintains she's innocent.
A sentencing date has been set for Feb. 11.