Stamford Teacher's Plea Deal Offer Includes Jail Time

The Stamford High School teacher facing sexual assault charges for her alleged relationship with a student has been offered a plea deal which includes serving at least nine months in jail.

The deal offered on Friday to Danielle Watkins, 33, of Norwalk, by Assistant State’s Attorney Maureen Manning would carry a maximum jail sentence of four years with a minimum of nine months to be served, according to The Advocate.

Watkins, who also would serve 10 years probation and register on the state’s Sex Offender Registry, has until Dec. 4 to decide whether to accept the deal, according to the report.

Watkins is charged with two counts each of second-degree sexual assault and sale of marijuana. Watkins was arrested July 17 on accusations that in June she threatened to fail a former student, who’s now 18, if he didn’t continue their sexual liaisons. She’s accused of meeting the students for trysts in her car during the school day, but not on school property. She also faces a marijuana possession charge for allegedly providing the student and a 15-year-old with pot that they smoked both on and off school property.

The plea offer came two days after Watkins’ former school administrators, Donna Valentine and Nordin Roth were granted accelerated rehabilitation on their charges of failing to report the relationship to the state Department of Children and Families, as required by law.

The full Advocate article can be found here.

Related stories:

• Stamford HS Administrators Seek Special Probation Program
• Stamford HS Administrators Plead Not Guilty
• Stamford Teacher Is Accused of Sexual Assault of Student
• Prosecutors May Seek Plea Deal in Stamford HS Teacher Sex Assault Case
• Stamford High Administrators Receive Probation

Photo: Danielle Watkins. Patch file photo.

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