UPDATE:
According to the Lancaster County District Attorney, Christy Smith was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison on Wednesday for having sex with students.
Lancaster County Judge Dennis Reinaker sentenced Smith to state prison after a jury convicted her in July of 18 counts of sex crimes.
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The jury only deliberated for a couple hours before finding Christy Smith guilty on 18 of 22 charges relating to having sex with students.
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The jury is now deliberating in the trial of a McCaskey High School teacher who was charged with having sex with two students
In closing arguments Wednesday, the defense continued its attempt to discredit the students while the prosecution said the facts speak for themselves.
34-year-old Christy Smith was an English teacher at McCaskey High School for eight years before her arrest.
She faces 28 total charges, including statutory sexual assault, and nearly 300 years in jail. Before the jury began deliberating, the defense asked them to question the credibility of the students because they have an “axe to grind”.
The first one, who was 15 at the time, currently faces more than 80 charges for burglary and theft. The defense said he only told people about the alleged abuse when things were going very badly for him and being a victim would help.
The defense also pointed to inconsistencies in the two students testimonies. The prosecution simply said the students got into great detail they couldn’t possibly make up.
The prosecution also said Smith had a pattern of behavior that included certain sex toys, poetry and keeping all the sex at the apartment.
Smith also faces child porn charges from having pictures of the 17-year-old student naked on her phone. The jury of seven women and five men started deliberating around 2:00.