A Hillsborough County Circuit Court judge sentenced a former middle school teacher, to the maximum behind bars for having sex with two under-aged boys.
Stephanie Ragusa, 31, a former Davidsen Middle School teacher in Tampa, admitted in April to having sex with students aged 14 and 16 years.
Judge Chet Tharpe sentenced Ragusa to 10 years in jail and an additional 15 years probation, after she completes her sentence.
In handing down the sentence, Tharpe chided Ragusa for her demeanor in court, saying that she acted “glibly” and “seemed arrogant”.
“I honestly believe, Ms. Ragusa, that you are a sexual predator,” Judge Tharpe said. “And I honestly believe that you are a danger to children in our community.”
Ragusa was a former special education teacher, who the prosecution argued knew exactly what she was doing and preyed on boys that were lonely and shy. She was a repeat offender, having been arrested on three occasions in 2008, for lewd and lascivious battery on the teen-aged boys.
Judge Tharpe sentenced Ragusa to the maximum jail time in a plead deal that was worked out.
