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Disgraced teacher Stefanie Erin Kellenberger has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The 41-year-old Grade 6 teacher was found to have developed a sexual obsession with her daughter’s 13-year-old babysitter.
The court revealed that sexual interactions began the following year and continued until the victim reached 16, which is the age of consent in Ohio. Kellenberger pleaded guilty to four counts of third-degree felony sexual battery and 17 counts of third-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, with the offenses occurring between February 2020 and October 2021 at her home in Shelby, Ohio.
Kellenberger may be eligible for judicial release after serving a decade if she maintains good behavior while incarcerated. During sentencing, Richland County Common Pleas Judge Brent Robinson addressed Kellenberger, stating, “You had been a teacher. She had been a student. But at the time these occurred, you were not her teacher and she was not your student.”
The victim expressed a desire for Kellenberger to receive only a three-year sentence, but the judge deemed that punishment too lenient. Kellenberger was placed on paid administrative leave from Shelby City Schools in February 2024 following allegations reported to the school district, and she resigned only after being indicted on criminal charges in September 2024.