Former Stamford Teacher to Serve 5 Years in Student Sex Case

The former Stamford High School teacher accused of having a months-long sexual relationship with one of her students will spend five years in prison and 10 years on the state sex offender registry, according to the court.

Danielle Watkins, 32, was sentenced Wednesday on charges of sexual assault after having an intimate relationship with an 18-year-old student for nine months and threatening to fail him if he broke it off.

Watkins was originally arrested over the summer and was served a second warrant in January after allegedly confronting another student at a local coffee shop. Police said she had given him marijuana while he was in her English class.

"[You and your friend] have taken everything from my: my family, my kids, my job," Watkins told the second teen, according to the victim's attorney. "I will not rest until you are both dead."

Watkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after five, along with 15 years' probation and 10 years on the sex offender registry. She must also comply with a protective order that requires her to stay away from the victims until March 2030.

She previously pleaded guilty to felony charges of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor as part of a plea deal.

Two school administrators arrested after failing to report the student-teacher relationship were granted accelerated rehabilitation.

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