PARIS — A former Oxford Hills School District teacher and coach pleaded no contest Tuesday to charges of sexual contact with a female student.
Shawn Gordon, 34, of Webber Farm Road in Paris entered the plea to unlawful sexual contact and assault in Oxford County Superior Court. Gordon's sentence was deferred for one year, during which time he must not have any contact with the girl or her family and must refrain from criminal activity. Upon successful completion, Gordon may be discharged.
The Paris Police Department in February 2008 charged Gordon with sexual contact with a female student in July 2007.
According to Assistant Superintendent Richard Colpitts of the Oxford Hills School District, Gordon was hired in October 2001 as an eighth-grade social studies teacher. In June 2007, he was appointed to teach social studies at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. He resigned effective Sept. 30, 2007.
Gordon worked as the assistant head coach for the high school football team and had been appointed as a middle school social studies liaison in 2006, a stipend position, by the board.
In addressing Justice Andrew Horton, the girl's parents said she had been socially ostracized by students and parents, but that the family's supporters outnumber their detractors.
"Part of her teen years were robbed, and she'll never get them back," the girl's father said.
She was 16 years old when the contact occurred, her parents said.
"[She] did absolutely nothing wrong," said the girl's mother. "She is the victim, not Mr. Gordon."
Defense lawyer Leonard Sharon said Gordon accepted responsibility for his actions and never blamed the girl for his leaving the school district. Sharon said Gordon voluntarily resigned when confronted by the school board about the accusation.
Gordon's certificate to teach in Maine was issued April 16, 1998, according to David Connerty-Marin, spokesman for the Department of Education.
"His last certificate, issued July 1, 2004, allowing him to teach social studies in grades seven through 12, would normally be a five-year certificate," Connerty-Marin said. But Sept. 29, 2007, was the last date Gordon held a valid certificate to teach. Privacy laws prevent the Department of Education from releasing the reason Gordon no longer holds a teaching certificate.
Gordon, a 1992 graduate of Leavitt Area High School in Turner, graduated from the University of Maine in 1997. A former defensive coordinator for the now-defunct semipro Shockers football team in Lewiston, Gordon previously taught at Hall-Dale Middle School in Farmingdale and in the Gray-New Gloucester school district.
mlangeveld@sunjournal.com
Staff editor Judy Meyer contributed to this report.
Rocket scientist?
Most do not know who Gordons victim was. Therefore we wouldn't know who her parents are. Apparently you are not an advocate of victims of sexual crimes rights to remain unknown to the public.
Unlike you who post to the world hiding behind a made up name, to protect your identity.
I agree that "Good People" make mistakes. Engaging in sexual activity and assault on a teenage girl by an adult teacher is not a mistake. Teachers get ample training informing them of their responsibility they are entrusted with. They also know where the line is drawn on sexual activity with their students. Sexual offenses against children does not happen by accident or mistake. Adults have the knowledge, experience and sense to understand that sexual activity with children is very very wrong and have the ability to stop it and prevent it from happening.
Now that i think about it... Is this girl his only victim? Or is this the only one he got caught with?
Is Kdot a name or alias?
Your statements hold very little credibility if you will not even identify yourself in your profile.
Maybe you can open a school that caters to people who want their teenage daughters taught by a convicted sex offender. There seems to be several on here who would be interested. Could be a new nitch market in this down economy!!
His plea may be no contest. But the judge finds him guilty.
He may be a good teacher as far as teachers go. But he should never be allowed to teach children under the age of 18 ever again. He violated the trust of the 16 year old girl and robbed her of a normal teenage life. He violated the trust of the girls parents. He violated the trust of his fellow teachers in our community and beyond. He violated the trust of our community. He violated the trust of every parent that ever had a student in his class and now we all must worry about what may not have been reported because a young teenage girl had an innocent school girl crush on a teacher who abused our trust.
He is very lucky that he did not end up in prison. He is very lucky that his beautiful wife has chosen to stay with him. He will be very lucky if his own children are not forever scorned in this community because their father is a monster who sexually abuses children placed in his trust.
Moxiegal, the teenage girl is Mr Gordon's victim!! He is the adult who was entrusted with the well-being of that child. He can and should not in any way claim to be her victim. Neither can you.
It is not uncommon for a teenage girl to have a crush on their male teachers. It is not uncommon for those girls to attempt to further that relationship into a physical / sexual one. Those are fairly common and argueably normal feelings and actions of a teenage girl. It is the RESPONSIBILITY of the ADULT teacher to not allow that relationship to become or go any further than a normal student to teacher relationship. It is also the responsibility of the teacher to teach the teenage student that this is wrong (for several different reasons) and put an end to any innappropriate conduct on either persons part.
It is a sad day when people come on here trying to defend the rightousness of an admitted and convicted sexual predator of children put into his control.
Looks like Paris should have a sex offender ordinance to protect its children from monsters like this.
"Gordon accepted responsibility for his actions and never blamed the girl " is an exact copy of the article. He admitted he did it. Perhaps YOU should learn to read.
A slap on the wrist. That 's why this keeps happening, guys know they'll get away with it.
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Nice. You trying to out the
Nice. You trying to out the girl whose identity has been protected by law up to this point?
Innocent people fight and don't plead out.