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Debbie Noda / Zuma Press
Enochs High School student Jordan Powers, 18, and James Hooker, 41, a teacher who recently resigned from the school, talk about their relationship on March 27.
Christopher James Hooker, the Modesto, Calif., ex-teacher whose romance with a student drew attention from around the world, was arrested Friday after being charged with one count of oral copulation with a minor in an incident that police said happened 14 years ago, the Modesto Bee reported.
The charge stems from a relationship Hooker is accused of having in 1998 with a 17-year-old student at Davis High School in Modesto, where he was teaching at the time, the newspaper said. Hooker was arrested at his home and booked into Stanislaus County Jail, police said.
Hooker entered a not guilty plea in Stanislaus County Superior Court, where a judge set his bail at $50,000 and assigned him a public defender, the Bee reported. A bail reduction hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Police were already investigating whether there was a criminal case against Hooker, 41, who resigned his job to move into an apartment with an 18-year-old girl he met while teaching in Modesto.
During the investigation of that case, police said, it was alleged that in 1998 Hooker befriended the 17-year-old student, developed a romantic relationship with her and sexually assaulted her.
After his recent relationship with the 18-year-old came to light, Hooker was placed on administrative leave Feb. 3 by Modesto City Schools and resigned less than three weeks later, according to a report at the Modesto Bee.
Hooker had taught business and computer classes. He left his wife and children to move in with Jordan Powers, an Enochs High School senior whom he met when she was a freshman at the school. One of Hooker's children attends the same high school.
"In making our choice, we've hurt a lot of people," Hooker told the Bee in March. "We keep asking ourselves, 'Do we make everyone else happy or do we follow our hearts?' "
Tammie Powers, the student’s mother, told the Bee she believes Hooker pursued her daughter, and she cited recent problems with her daughter’s grades and health. Her daughter had panic attacks, Powers said.
"I believe it was the stress of the lie," Tammie Powers told the newspaper.
After Hooker moved in with Powers, California Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto, crafted legislation to strip teachers of retirement benefits if they have romantic relationships with students.
"My point is, whether you're 18, 17 or 14, the fact remains that a teacher is in a position of authority and influence over that student, and therefore, it is highly inappropriate," Olsen said.
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Mandatory female castration would stop this behavior.
Lucky guy.it really is a shame they are going to put some trumped up charge on him just bercause they don't like what he's doing.i wondered what crazy thing they would come up up with when i first heard this story.i don't know the laws where they are from but in Texas 17 is legal age of consent.hell i used to have sex with plenty of 17 and 18 year olds when i was in my twenties and early thirties.ah,the good old days
I'm moving to Texas
I don't see why everyone is making such a big deal of this, movie stars and singers do this sort of thing all the time and no one hardly bats an eye. Hell, Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13 year old cousin. This age thing is bull, I say if their 16 or over, who cares. The schools and tv and movies all push sex, sex, sex, on kids as young as 10 and younger and then when someone goes out and has sex, OH, it's some big thing, why did this happen. Get real.
I don't like the situation here, but if the girl he is with now says nothing happened until she turned 18, there's nothing they can do to prosecute him over it. As far as the girl who is just now comming forward saying he did things with her some 17 years ago, I don't know the staute of limitations, but I remember hearing something about 10 years for sexual assaults, but this does have a special circumstace in that it was a minor who was the victim. That said, I also find it suspect that she didn't come forward several weeks ago, when it happened, or in the 17 years since. I do think he needs some help as does the girl. In the long run though, when all is said and done and if they truly feel that they wish to be together, then I wish them the best of luck.
If that were the case these Catholic Priest scandals from seemingly centuries would be thrown out. Some of these priest die but still get convicted and righfully so but I dont think crimes of this gravity apply.
slyman....
Her mother tells a different story....one of brainwashing, panic attacks, and stress over keeping their relationship a 'secret' before she was 18. Perhaps the girl will fess up now that Hooker's in the pokey...
He says he is following his Heart, which in his case is connect to his genitals.
Good One Big Al!
I did not have sex with that girl.
How do scumbags like this get away with things like this for so long? That poor mother of that child was defenseless against this predator for how many years? WTF? I'm ashamed of this country sometimes.
did the country do it or the guy? we must have read different stories.
The guy is a stud. The men who are against him are jealous, the woman are pissed because they can't get a younger guy.
Wait one frigging minute here...Jim ...If you were'nt careful I'd swear you were implying ....The TRUTH...ROFL....
Come on though Jim.....he could a put on a baseball cap...and hit a few happy hours...with some heartfelt bull and come up with something a couple of years older than her.....hell she teeters on being his grand daughter or was that too much work? He broke one of the man rules. IF THE GIRL SITTING NEXT YOU LOOKS LIKE SHE COULD WANTS TOS SAY DADDY she is probably...I may be wrong....too young.
Funny, they never let me use a computer when I was in "Holding".
14 years ago and now just coming out? Sounds like someone is looking for a book deal and some face time on tv. Where is Gloria Allred, this smells of her.
I don't blame the guy for banging a cute 18 year old. hell, i'm 44 and i'd love to have one for a while (nothing long term because they change too much. have to be 30 or older for a real relationship) but i can't see how it's ever worth destroying your family over. Even if you're not happy with your wife, how could you drag your kids through that? Pretty selfish but that seems to be the trend. "as long as i'm happy, to hell with everyone else"
Damn shame...
Bottom line: Mr Hooker is a creep and now authorities have established a pattern of lewd, inappropriate behavior and assault with young girls under the age of 18, while being employed in a position of trust. He deserved to have his retirement benefits stripped and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Pedophiles and sex perverts CANNOT be rehab-ed....the extent of punishment must take this into consideration.
What "pattern"? Someone is accusing him of something from 14 years ago but how do you know it isn't a lie? One that is sure, the girl he's with now, does not make a pattern. The other one has been far from proven so stop the lynching attitude and get the facts first. She's 18 and has said there was no sex prior to her being 18 so you're also accsing him of being a pedophile without proof. You sound like a bitter woman with a cooch nobody wants. guessing it's dried up and dusty but that's not this guys fault so get off him.
Well...they must of had enough evidence to arrest him and set bail at $50k, AND give him a public defender. If this story was much ado about nothing, and everything was legal and innocent (as u think it is), then why did he resign? why did the girl have panic attacks? why does her mother tell of a different story about her behavior and grades, if she and the perv waited till her 18th bday to have legal sex and move in together? c'mon.... Mr Hooker IS a creep, pervert, and the authorities arrested him b/c they DO have evidence that he acted outside the limits of his employment while working in a position of trust not once, but now twice....
As long as their legal and he still has it let him get it. Nothing illegal
u totally missed the point...
hope they convict
ridiculous that so many are against this because the law tells them its wrong. Back in the day people used to get married and have kids at 12-14. Morons can be conditioned to believe anything, like that kissing a young girl should be punishable by jail time. You people are part of what is wrong with the world.
sorry, but we are 'not back in the day' any longer and laws were put into place to protect young women from being exploited during childhood and especially while attending during school where they are supposed to be safe and protected....
Funny how attitudes change, a century ago the age wouldn't have been a factor but the divorce would have been the scandal. Reminds me of that scene in Wizard of OZ where the fashion changes whenever the Wiz commands that they change.
they have changed for the better...
There are too many fine ...eligible...even virgins of legal age out there......whats wrong with those young women.
So many people are trying to bump her age up as much as possible....she was a juvenile/teeny when he pursued
and its a new day.........thats a crime in America now...lots of stuff has changed the price of
gas...clothes...technology... even our idea of men and women...imagine that...get over it.......and get a woman.
or is that too much of a challenge? Don't get wrong its all work....You gonna have to earn it on the front end or
the back end of the relationship...but one thing for sure...a woman is a woman and a girl is a girl....does not tha
make you think of something...
This is further proof that California is the land of Sodom and Gomorrah of USA. While California's recent forty years have experienced the scourge of immorality, the State has not always been plagued by the wages of sins and abominations.
It all began so innocently in California; initially the grass-root movement was called "Flower Power" and "Love Fest" by the beatniks, peaceniks, and the hippies and the yippies. Before long, the movement morphed into full blown socialism, where the enlighten "Flower Power" children in the legislature translated the Love Fest into hundreds of social programs funded by borrowed money. In matter of a decade, free love included free money and free from the restraints of morality.
I'm sure someone else has already said this, I haven't read all of the comments, but although what this guy has done is certainly no laughing matter I had to chuckle at his last name. Yup, he's certainly living up to it! I can also see how this kind of thing happens, both with male and female teachers. Lucky for a male teacher I had in 7th or 8th grade (I'm almost 70 now) that he had morals because I don't think there was one girl in that school who wasn't madly in love with him, at least at our tender age we thought we were. We all threw ourselves at him mercilessly every day. He just laughed and brushed it off, never offending us, getting upset with us, reporting us or anything else negative, he just remained a gentleman and a teacher, friendly but all business.
I dont have an issue with him dating an 18 year old as long as he wasnt her teacher still. I mean shoot my father was 50 when he met my mom at 18, They've been together for 35 years till he passed away from a stroke. Now the allegations from the other girl, well since we dont have the real evidence we can only speculate. I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt. Since you are innocent till proven guilty....
If this current girlfriend/student is willingly sleeping with Mr. Baldy, she needs to get her head examined. But there isn't a crime here unless he drugged her before "seducing" her. If some other student waits ten years to come forward, I say they waited too long.
She might have a Diary and are parents are using what she had wrote in it to have him arrested.
This man has stolen this girls childhood and chance at a normal life. It is shameful that someone who is suppose to protect our kids is a total pervert. If I was this girls mom I would not sleep at night knowing my daughter was in bed with this pervert. He abused his position plain and simple. It sounds like he has abused it before. I hope this latest development will be enough for the parents to get their girl away from him.
Icky, icky, icky.
So where is the 18 yr old living now? Hopefully she goes back home and thinks it all through now.
California Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto wants to enact a law whereby teachers lose their retirement benefits when there is an inappropiate 'relation' between them and students. Why stop there? If she is so concerned about doing good...........why not apply the same legislation to corrupt politicians, judges, and police officers, who commit a crime, instead of letting them 'retire' with their benefits still intact??????