SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — She was a young teacher who got too close to her students. Wednesday, a former Oviedo High School teacher was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Meredith Witt was accused of giving teenagers alcohol and allowing one of them to drive her car drunk. The State Attorney's Office said Witt had been serving the boys alcohol for at least a year, meaning she'd befriended the kids even before they turned 18.
After a morning inside the courthouse, the former teacher now has a mug shot and a booking number at the county jail. Witt was handcuffed in court Wednesday morning after pleading "no contest" and being scolded by Judge Jerri Collins.
"We have to trust and have confidence in our teachers. You violated that trust and that confidence," Judge Collins said.
Witt resigned her special education position at Oviedo High School in early November after she hosted a beer-fueled party for four underage students at her Casselberry home. One student, 18-year-old Dylan Ferguson, drove Wiit's car home drunk and crashed into several parked cars near his home. Ferguson was arrested.
"This relationship does go back a year or two prior to this and this was not a one-time occurrence," a prosecutor said.
Ferguson's parents wouldn't talk to WFTV about the incident.
Down the street, closer to the crash scene, former Oviedo High School student Danny Perez felt the sentence matched Witt's crime.
"It's not exactly the most responsible thing to do," Perez said.
Before being sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years probation, Witt apologized for the harm she'd caused. Her attorney told the judge that Witt's bad behavior was sparked by marital problems and said the incident ended her marriage, her career and may mean she'll lose custody of her young daughter.
The judge said someone could have died.
Witt has to report for her two-year probation as soon as she gets out of jail, one month from now. But more litigation may be pending; Ferguson's family said they are working with an attorney.
Previous Stories: November 5, 2009: Teacher Gave Alcohol To Student Who Got DUI