An ex-high school teacher from Babylon, New York pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sex with a 15-year-old student almost a decade ago.
According to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, 48-year-old Timothy Harrison of Oak Beach, New York agreed to the plea on Friday. One of the stipulations attached to the agreement is that he must give up his teaching license.
Harrison appeared before Suffolk County Court Judge Karen M. Wilutis to make his plea. He is scheduled to be sentenced in court on November 9th, 2023.
The DA’s office said it was discovered that between September and November of 2013, Harrison provided the 15-year-old victim with alcohol, sent flirtatious texts, and engaged in sexual activities with her at his Oak Beach home.
In 2021, the victim reported the abuse to Babylon High School. She then went to the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victim Section.
“This defendant abused his role as an educator and preyed on a teenaged student. Instead of being a teacher, he took advantage of her,” Tierney said. “The courage shown by this young woman in reporting this crime even though it had occurred eight years earlier is amazing. This guilty plea ensures that Harrison will no longer be a teacher, and as such, current and future students will be protected from his predatory behavior.”
Harrison was arrested on March 3rd, 2022.
