Former MOCO Teacher Who Sexually Abused Student Sentenced To Prison

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A former teacher at a Montgomery County middle school was sentenced to prison this week after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a 14-year-old student.

Melissa Curtis was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with all but 12 months suspended. Curtis was also sentenced to five years of supervised probation following her release.

Police said an investigation into Curtis began last year after the male victim, who is now an adult, accused her of sexually abusing him when he was a student at Montgomery Village Middle School. Curtis was teaching at the school at the time of the abuse, police said.

Authorities the abuse began in 2015 when Curtis was 22 years old. According to police, the incidents continued for several months and all took place in Montgomery County.

According to court documents, when the victim was in eighth grade, Curtis touched him inappropriately over his clothing while in a classroom and performed oral sex on him. Court documents said Curtis also kissed him on the mouth in her car, touched him at a Montgomery County movie theater and had sex with him at both of their homes.

"(The victim also) reported Curtis provided him with alcohol and marijuana and encouraged him to perform oral sex on her, which did occur," court documents said.

Curtis and the teenager were often alone together because the victim volunteered at an after-school program that Curtis oversaw, authorities said.

In addition to Montgomery Village, Curtis also taught at Lakelands Park Middle School in Gaithersburg, police said.

Curtis was arrested in November 2023. She pleaded guilty in June to three counts of third-degree sex offense.