HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (AP) - A former high school history teacher on Long Island has been acquitted of rape charges involving a 16-year-old student, but was convicted of a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child
The Suffolk County district attorney’s office says 28-year-old Jonathan Elsalam faces one year in jail when he’s sentenced May 9. The jury handed down its verdict on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say the former teacher and coach at Bellport High School had a sexual relationship with the girl between December, 2011 and May, 2012.
Elsalam was suspended by the South Country School District last October when they announced an investigation into the alleged affair.
The arrest follows the filing of a lawsuit against Elsalam and the school district on behalf of the student and her mother.
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