A Clay high school teacher who sent sexual messages naked photos of himself to a student was sentenced to three years in prison.
Caleb Long apologized in court Thursday for sending sexually explicit texts to a 15-year-old girl in one of his classes at Clay High School in late 2022. Prosecutors said Long also threatened to expel the girl if she told anyone about the communications.
Long’s attorney said the 26-year-old is “a pariah of the community” and hasn’t been able to get a job since he was charged with child solicitation earlier this year and fired by the South Bend school corporation.
But St. Joseph County Judge Stephanie Steele said Long’s actions had just as profound of an impact on the student as she gave Long a five-year sentence. Three of those years will be spent in prison, with one year each on work release and probation.
"The stigma attached to you, that you’re a pariah. I have no doubt you're experiencing some of that," Steele told Long. "But so is she. The harm she’s experiencing is extreme."
Long pleaded guilty to one charge of child solicitation in September in a deal that saw prosecutors dismiss two other felony charges involving child sex crimes. As a condition of his probation, Long will be required to register as a sex offender.
