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Former high school trainer gets probation in sex case

By Hector Gutierrez, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 23, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Yvette Starzyk was convicted of attempted sexual assault on a student by a person in a position of trust.

Yvette Starzyk was convicted of attempted sexual assault on a student by a person in a position of trust.

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A former Hinkley High School athletic trainer received three years probation Monday after she was convicted of attempted sexual assault on a student by a person in a position of trust.

As part of her supervised probation, Yvette Starzyk, 27, was ordered by Adams County Judge Michael A. Cox to register as a sex offender.

The judge suspended a three-year prison sentence for Starzyk.

"I'm sorry for what I did," Starzyk told the judge.

Cox reminded the former substitute teacher that if she violated the terms of her probation she can be incarcerated.

"What this means, ma'am, is you're going to be held on the straight and narrow," the judge told Starzyk.

Starzyk was convicted of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old student.

The assault appeared to have taken place in 2004.

Defense lawyer Steven R. Barnes said Starzyk already has paid considerably for her crime, saying she has lost her teaching job and lost friends.

However, Sharon Holbrook, senior trial deputy district attorney, took exception to some statements made by Starzyk and her supporters that they didn't think the incident was serious.

In her probation report, Holbrook noted, Starzyk had called the incident a "rite of passage" for the victim.

The prosecutor said had the offender been a male teacher who was convicted of sexual assault on a child the "community would be outraged."

Gutierrezh@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5204.

Comments

  • December 23, 2008

    3:20 a.m.

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    LOUIE writes:

    Got to love the double standard, equality before the law is a joke. Whether it's divorce, child custody, criminal acts, women have always gotten the better deal. Now when it comes to equal pay in the work force it evens out I guess as the man prevails. Equality is but a myth. I'd rather all child predators see some prison time, Ive seen much more noble felons in prison doing time than these sex offenders. I guess society could care less about their children today, as many sex offenders get probation, only to repeat the crime on another child. Perhaps it might be time to tie the judges hand and make prison manditory for all sex crimes against children, it will remove the disparity in sentencing as well. I remember Thiret only doing 7 years of a 10 year sentence, for raping and leaving the little Lori Poland girl to die in the bottom of a remote mountain outhouse, because his family had money to fight the case. If we have to let people go free and forgive, aren't there better choices than someone who seeks out our children to destroy? Some states sought the death penalty because of how incurable these type of offenders are. Supreme court knock that down, they have to kill the child in order for the death penalty to be imposed. Oh well, what's a child worth anyway?

  • December 23, 2008

    6:37 a.m.

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    shoulder2shoulder writes:

    where were these ladies at when I was in High School?

  • December 23, 2008

    7:11 a.m.

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    singularity99 writes:

    Outrageous double standard. If the teacher was male, and had sex with a 15 year old girl, he would get 10 years in prison. They should jail the judge for outrageous conduct.

  • December 23, 2008

    8:22 a.m.

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    BroncoDan writes:

    This woman's not a "sex offender" or a child predator. That 15 year-old was probably more mature than a lot of 18 year-olds...and probably considers himself lucky! AND I would probably feel the same way if the roles were reversed. People can get caught up with emotions, no matter what their age. Not condoning minors having sex, but they're going to do it if they want to anyway. There's predators and then there's just people with emotions and desires.

    It's not a situation to ruin someone's life. Some good counseling for both parties would be a lot more constructive. Her probation is probably set-up for her to fail...say, she's in a Mall in the vicinity of another 15 year-old, she probably goes to jail!

  • December 23, 2008

    8:22 a.m.

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    INC writes:

    Somehow the punishment seems to be in line with the supposed trauma of the victim. Males tend to be far more willing to have an affair with their HS teacher. Whereas Females become willing to sleep with teachers in college. When there is no punishment, advancement is the goal and the "victim" is of legal age.

    I do agree the double standard here is atrocious.

  • December 23, 2008

    8:35 a.m.

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    HolierThanThou writes:

    An older woman having an affair with a teenager is hardly a crime. Those who decry the "double standard" have zero understanding of the biological and psychological differences between men and women. Sadly, so does the law because goofy people confuse equal rights with equal desires.

    It is much worse for an older man to entice a teenage girl because girls can get pregnant. Yes, Virginia, it's true you could be stuck with a jailbird's child. Teenage boys have no consequences unless they catch a bug, in which case it might just fall off, Junior.

  • December 23, 2008

    9:08 a.m.

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    jb10 writes:

    HolierThanThou are you suggesting that it is not ok for older men to sleep with teenage girls because they can get pregnant? Ridiculous!
    There is a double standard like it or not. As mentioned earlier when it happens to boys they are "lucky", when it happens to girls they were duped into it by a older, wiser man.
    In my opinion the punishment is too harsh. We are ruining her life in what amounts to a victim less crime. She was no predator.

  • December 23, 2008

    9:15 a.m.

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    DieselWeasel writes:

    HolierThanThou writes:

    "An older woman having an affair with a teenager is hardly a crime."

    There's a lot more to consider than the physical consequences. Boys can suffer emotionally from these experiences too. What if the teenager is another female? Bottom line is there is no place for fraternization between teachers and students of any gender and we all are supposed to have equal protection under the law.

  • December 23, 2008

    9:21 a.m.

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    buffsblg writes:

    jb10

    How do you know this was "victimless"? Do you know this kid? I can certainly imagine situations where that may be true, but I can also come up with a number of situations where a teacher in a position of authority could manipulate or even threaten a 15 year old to get what she wanted. If you do not know the individual facts, you are just making sexist assumptions that all boys want it and no girls do.

    The reason this act is illegal is that there is no way a child can have an even relationship with someone in power. Certainly the definition of child may be somewhat arbitrary, but having worked with victims of both genders, consent is very different in these situations.

    Just assuming that the boys were happy and willing is simply ignorant of the vast range of behaviors that we are dealing with and the vast range of personalities involved. I have represented kids who truly did not feel they were victims and believed strongly that the perpetrators should not have been charged. However, more often, once they are out of the situation, they realize they have been manipulated and used. That feeling has long term impacts on the kids and their mental health.

  • December 23, 2008

    9:35 a.m.

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    Link writes:

    Noble Felons. Now that's a band name.

  • December 23, 2008

    9:54 a.m.

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    Jeff writes:

    HolierThanThou: Yes, Virginia, it's true you could be stuck with a jailbird's child. Teenage boys have no consequences unless they catch a bug.

    Actually, it's not unheard of for the teenage boy to get the woman teacher pregnant. Ironically, this is also frequently the point where the boy and his family start screaming about how "Junior" was sexually assaulted.

    There is a double standard, and it's not good for our communities. Sure, there are some funny jokes to be made, but the bottom line is this: Teachers, don't diddle with the students! Nothing good can come of it.

  • December 23, 2008

    10:10 a.m.

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    BroncoDan writes:

    I knew a guy in High school who was "being assaulted" by the coach's wife...well, they've been married, now, for 30 some years!

  • December 23, 2008

    10:32 a.m.

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    Steph writes:

    You see! You see! Heterosexuals are all child molesters!

  • December 23, 2008

    10:48 a.m.

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    save_liberty writes:

    If women have the same liberties as a man, they also should have the same equality to lose there freedoms. The judge should be ashamed. If it was reversed, the man would be in jail for a very long time.

  • December 23, 2008

    11:29 a.m.

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    Marshdale writes:

    Quite frankly as a guy, I'm not sure how I would have felt if my hot teacher was hitting on me in high school. Being the inmature idiot I was back then I probably would have thought it was cool and would have bragged to my friends about it. Knowing what I know now, I think what she did is dispicable.

    I went to a local high school where there were rumours about one of the high school football coaches/councelors sleeping with a cheer leeder. I happen to know her and years later she admitted it was true, but then again she was one of those who would do or say anything to get attention. It was also rumoured that a few of the football players had been fooling around with a history teacher during private tutoring sessions. No verification there, but many of the players said it happened.

  • December 23, 2008

    1:43 p.m.

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    Devil_Dog writes:

    Buffsblg

    You hit the nail on the head this time.

    I struggle with this one because I do believe that many more males, vs. females, would not be as damaged by this but I'm basing that assumption on my own experiences, as a youth, and that is not a good idea in cases like this. I'm not sure that the teenagers of today are as mature (mentally) as those of the seventies (could be wrong but those I have coached in general do not appear to be). But that could be unintended revisionist history on my part.

    Nevertheless if you are in a position of trust it is just that TRUST, my kids trusted that I had their best interest at heart and they deserved the very best from me at all times. To betray that trust would've been the lowest thing I could've done. This teacher betrayed that trust, and took something from this boy, he may not have thought so at the time but he probably will someday.

    And now as a parent I need to feel confident that my daughter is safe at school and letting anyone guilty of this type of behavior off so lightly does nothing to boost my confidence.