Former Ocean City Teacher Sentenced After Sex Assault Plea Deal

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A former Ocean City High School teacher has been sentenced to prison for a 2016 incident with a student, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.

Ricardo Valle, 35, of Seabrook, Texas, was sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison for one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland said.

Valle admitted to "engaging in sexual contact with a student" before leaving his teaching job at the school in June 2016, Sutherland said.

As part of his plea agreement, Valle, who was a teacher at the Clear Creek Independent School District in Houston at the time of his arrest on Feb. 27, 2021, forfeited his teaching certificate along with any future public service, Sutherland said. Upon his release from prison, Valle will be subject to registration under Megan's Law, Sutherland said. Valle also was ordered to have no contact with the victim in this case, Sutherland said.

Valle was originally charged with second-degree sexual assault, second-degree official misconduct, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, Patch previously reported. Read More: Former Ocean City HS Teacher Arrested On Sexual Assault Charges

This sentence was a result of an investigation conducted by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and detectives from the Ocean City Police Department.