VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A former Volusia County teacher is set to be sentenced on Friday.
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Arin Hankerd entered a plea deal earlier this year after being accused of having several sexual relationships with students.
Hankerd could spend decades in prison.
Watch: Former Volusia County teacher accused of having sex with students agrees to open plea deal
The state offered him 25 years behind bars plus 10 years of probation, but he turned that down.
The open plea he did accept means he won’t go to trial, but he’s leaving his fate up to the judge.
Hankerd was a teacher and football coach at Atlantic High School in 2022 when investigators said he had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old.
Not long after his arrest, a second student from Mainland High School, where Hankerd previously worked, contacted police and said she had engaged in sexual acts with him at his home.
Watch: What Florida teachers told 9 Investigates about violence in the classroom
The open plea spares the former students from having to testify.
Channel 9 will have a crew inside of the courtroom and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.
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