School Teacher Sentenced To 40 Years For Raping Student, Sending Her Thousands Of Sexually Explicit Texts

A former Collier County, Florida public school teacher was sentenced Monday after he was convicted last month of raping a 14-year-old student and sending her thousands of sexually explicit texts, court records showed.

Joseph Mejia, 39, was sentenced to 40 years in prison by Collier Circuit Judge Joseph Foster, local newspaper the Naples Daily News reported. Foster had adjudicated Mejia guilty on four counts of lewd or lascivious battery engaging in sexual activity with a victim between the ages of 12 and 16.

The victim delivered a nearly 5-minute impact statement prior to Mejia's sentencing, which detailed their relationship before it turned sexual.

"Speaking up about Mejia raping me was one of the best choices I’ve ever made. It didn’t always seem that way though," the victim was quoted as saying in a report by WINK. "He pulled me out of school and tore me away from friends I’d grown to love. Everyone stood by him too. I was a whore. I was the one who’d had sex with a teacher."

The age of consent in Florida is 18 years old, with sexual intercourse with someone who is younger than 18 being considered statutory rape.

Mejia, in a last-minute plea to the court, said he was "very regretful" over the incident.

"I’ve never done anything like this before in my life... I plea for mercy in regards to my sentence," the former technology teacher at Gulf Coast Charter Academy South, which is not affiliated with Collier County Public Schools, said. His mother also asked for forgiveness for his son.

Judge Foster, in response to their pleas, said forgiveness was "between God and your son and God and the victim and her family."

"[T]hat's not for me to grant or deny in any way shape or form in this courtroom," Foster explained.

Mejia was sentenced to 20 years on each of the four counts, with two to run consecutively and two to run concurrently, adding up to a total of 40 years.

Additionally, Mejia was ordered not to have any contact with the victim or her family, as per the Naples Daily News. He was also ordered to pay $1,019 for court costs, $1,743 for the cost of investigation and $510.20 for the cost of prosecution, according to court records.

Mejia had been convicted on May 10 for raping the victim and sending her the texts. An investigation by the Collier County Sheriff's Office also concluded that he raped the victim at least four times around the country.

The victim had trusted Mejia "with her life" prior to the sexual encounters, with an arrest report describing him as a sort of guidance counselor for her. She reportedly felt hurt, broken and lost the ability to care for herself after she found out how Mejia "viewed her," according to Mejia's arrest report.

Mejia was arrested after the victim's mother reported that she had found sexually explicit messages between her daughter and Mejia on her daughter's phone, which prompted an investigation.