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Jury Finds Former Flint Teacher Guilty of CSC 1st with

12-year-old Student

December 22, 2009

FLINT --  Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton called today’s jury verdict against a former Flint teacher charged with having sex with a 12-year-old boy she was tutoring “a huge victory for our community, for the victim, and for our social norms.”

A Genesee County Circuit Court jury this morning found Allanah Benton-Wells, 43, of Flint, guilty of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under the age of 13.

Under Michigan law, a perpetrator of this crime who is 17 years of age or older at the time of the offense is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison up to a possible maximum sentence of life in prison or any term of years.  The victim in this case was 12-years-old and Benton-Wells was 41-years-old when the incidents occurred.  The jury found her not guilty on a third count that was added after testimony at the District Court preliminary examination.

City of Flint police began their investigation into the case after the student’s parents reported their suspicions to the principal at Williams Elementary School in the Flint school district where the teacher was employed at the time.  Benton-Wells had been tutoring the student outside of regular school hours.

Testimony at trial showed that Benton-Wells had sex with the student on at least two separate occasions at her home around Halloween of 2007. 

“Such behavior from a woman who is supposed to be a positive role model and an educator of our young people is not just offensive to the norms of our community, it is criminal,” said Prosecutor Leyton.  

“Fortunately,” Prosecutor Leyton added, “this type of situation where a teacher preys on her students in a sexual manner is like a needle in a haystack.  It is very rare.”

Benton-Wells is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. on February 11, 2010.

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