A former Pioneer Valley High School teacher was sentenced Thursday to a year of jail and five years of probation — avoiding state prison — after pleading to four felony charges stemming from his sexual relationship with a student.
Brian Thomas Hook, 54, of Orcutt learned his sentence in Santa Barbara County Superior Court and was led away in handcuffs.
Before Judge John McGregor handed down the sentence, a victim’s advocate read a letter from the girl’s mother, sharing about the pain and suffering the relationship caused the teen and her family.
“Everyone who knows our daughter knows she is a very, very noble person …,” the letter said. “This is the kind of person Mr. Hook chose to take advantage of.”
Hook, at the time 53 years old, manipulated the 16-year-old girl until he was able to get what he desired, the mom’s letter said, noting the “world of difference in their ages.”
“I would like to say I do forgive him, but the wound he caused our daughter and our family will never heal and will always be in our lives,” she said.
Hook previously entered an open plea to the charges that included two counts of oral copulation with a person under the age of 18 and one count of sexual penetration with a person under the age of 18, according to prosecutors.
The former teacher, who was arrested in February 2014, also faced one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
The open plea means he didn’t have a plea agreement and left his sentence in the hands of the judge.
McGregor noted that Hook violated “the most basic and simple principle of teaching” in having what the judge called an “incredibly inappropriate relationship.”
But McGregor also cited reports that Hook doesn’t pose a threat to the victim and has a low likelihood of repeating the same crime. He also does not have a prior criminal record, the judge noted.
With these crimes, Hook could get four years in state prison — and likely serve less. However, five years of probation would mean a longer period of monitoring by authorities, the judge noted.
After weighing the suitability and risk factors, the judge said he deemed probation appropriate for Hook.
Earlier, Deputy District Attorney Brandon Jebens asked that Hook be sentenced to state prison, noting the relationship spanned from October 2013 to February 2014 and included trysts at the teacher’s house, a hotel and a classroom.
Hook wasn’t the girl’s teacher when the relationship occurred, but she was in one of his classes the previous year.
Sixteen-year-old girls don’t typically hit on much older men, Jebens said.
“He is the adult,” Jebens said. “Teachers are trained to avoid these contacts.”
Additionally, Hook has a history of acting out in sexual ways in using sex as a coping mechanism, Jebens said.
Hook’s attorney, Brian Carroll from the Public Defender’s Office, said his client has expressed remorse and has earned positive reports. Hook has attended treatment, performed positive acts in the community and works at a job that wasn’t identified in court.
“There’s every indication he should be a successful candidate in probation,” Carroll said.
In other aspects of his sentence, Hook also must register as a sex offender, according to the judge.
He received 200 days of credit toward his jail sentence and likely will serve approximately 80 more days.
He was also ordered to pay assorted fines including $4,800 in a restitution fine and restitution to the victim, in an amount which is yet to be determined.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.