Cash bail of $5,000 was established Tuesday when high school teacher Michael Burman made his initial appearance in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court.
Burman, 35, an English teacher at Horace Mann High School in North Fond du Lac, was formally charged with 10 counts of sexual assault of a student by school staff and 10 counts of child enticement.
Newly appointed District Attorney Michael O"Rourke had requested that intake Judge Robert Wirtz set cash bail at $25,000, noting the severity of the crime.
Burman, of Oshkosh, also a track and cross country coach at Horace Mann, is accused of carrying on a sexual relationship with a female student who was 17 years old at the time and a senior at Horace Mann during the 2005-06 school year and again, recently, when the former student returned to the area, according to a criminal complaint.
Garbed in an orange jail jump suit, Burman was represented in court by attorney Raymond Edelstein of Oshkosh, who cited his client"s ties to the area as a homeowner and married man with no prior criminal history.
"He has taken the necessary steps to obtain counseling and has the support of his friends and family," Edelstein told the court.
O"Rourke argued for higher bail, citing the defendant"s apparent attempt to "cover his tracks" by sending the former student his statement (to police) and asking her to delete e-mails exchanged between the two.
Wirtz ordered that the defendant have no contact with the former student, now 18, and living in Georgia, or with Horace Mann High School.
If convicted as charged, Burman faces more than 300 years in prison on the 20 felony counts.
A preliminary hearing for the defendant has been set for 1:30 p.m. March 29 in the courtroom of Judge Dale English.
Anonymous tip
Working on an anonymous tip, North Fond du Lac police arrested Burman on Feb. 22 before he went to school.
The high school teacher told authorities the affair happened because the student was "aggressive" and his marriage was "falling part," according to the criminal complaint.
But differing versions of what happened between the two were told to authorities.
Burman told detectives the former student had a crush on him, but he told her they had to "wait" until after graduation, the complaint said.
He later changed his story when pressed after police armed themselves with more information from the former student, according to the complaint.
During a telephone interview, the former student told authorities she didn"t really want the relationship, which started in the middle of her last semester at Horace Mann, the complaint said.
She numbered their sexual encounters at more than 70 and said the encounters occurred almost daily in Burman"s classroom during a period in which she was supposed to be in study hall, the complaint said.
Classroom door locked
She told authorities there were times when she and Burman were in the classroom, and teachers would try to get in but the door was locked. The two also met at a wayside outside Fond du Lac and at Burman"s home in Oshkosh, according to the complaint.
Burman said it was the former student who initially closed the door of his classroom.
The former student told detectives that she told Burman no when it came to "actual sex and intercourse" and that she performed oral sex on him outside of school only.
When asked if Burman ever threatened her, the former student said that Burman mentioned her grade one time because she wasn"t getting a good grade, according to the complaint.
Other sexual incidents allegedly occurred in an elevator during senior banquet, in the track room at school and at the football field near Friendship Learning Center in North Fond du Lac.
After court, O"Rourke said he wants to prosecute the case to the "full extent of the law" and does not disagree with Wirtz ordering the $5,000 cash bail since the defendant "has a stable history."
When asked if 20 charges were enough if the sexual encounters occurred more than 70 times, O"Rourke said the complaint was fashioned around a "representative amount."
The incidents happened on an almost daily basis throughout the semester, the former student had told authorities.
Further charges are a possibly, O"Rourke said.
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The 17 year old's I went to school with were partying up sluts for the most part, hornier than guys and willing to do anything for a good night drunk.
What does that mean ? It means that the techer broke the law, should be prosecuted as such and the girl will be considered a "victim" whether she was or wasn't
While its been my experience that many of the more fertile 17-year-olds play older men like a fiddle, sometimesinnocently enough (or naively enough), there's no excuse for a teacher to have this kind of relationship. It reflects poor professionalism and a lack of caring for the welfare of the child.
But take into consideration that the same 17 year old "child" could have went to another state and not been a child at all.
Some countries allow 13 year olds to marry, some 15 years old .......... I submit that a 17 year old is a 17 year old, regardless of the written word of the law.
But take into consideration that the same 17 year old "child" could have went to another state and not been a child at all.
Some countries allow 13 year olds to marry, some 15 years old .......... I submit that a 17 year old is a 17 year old, regardless of the written word of the law.
Sure, I'll wait to see how the charges play out. I would make it a felony for anyone anywhere over 21 to have sex with a minor under 18, but I respect the states' laws. All I want is for this guy to get canned from work.
Another teacher caught +1
