Jennifer Christine Fichter (born December 8, 1984) is an American former teacher who was convicted in

Polk County, Florida Polk County () is a County (United States), county located in the Central Florida, central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. The county population was 725,046, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and estimated to be 818,330, as ...

, United States, in 2015 of

sexual battery Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault, which is the act of creating reasonable fear or apprehension of such contact. Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more gen ...

against three 17-year-old male students. She was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment.

Early life and career

Jennifer Fichter was born on December 8, 1984, and graduated from

Paxon School for Advanced Studies Paxon School for Advanced Studies (PSAS) is one of four International Baccalaureate senior high schools (the others being Stanton College Preparatory School, Wolfson High School, and Terry Parker High School) in Duval County, Florida, US. ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, in June 2003. She then attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

from August 2003 to December 2006 earning a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Degree majoring in English. She held instructional teaching positions at Robinswood Middle School,

Orange County, Florida Orange County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,429,908, making it the fifth-most populous county in Florida and the List of ...

, from August 13, 2007, to December 19, 2008, when she resigned pending the outcome an investigation for alleged offenses of inappropriate behavior.

Sexual abuse, trial, and sentencing

Fichter was hired as an English teacher at Kathleen High School on August 29, 2011, and was paid US$40,530 per year. Fichter was fired by the Polk County School Board on April 22, 2014, after her arrest for molesting three of her male students, all 17 years old, more than 37 times between August 2012 and April 2014. As of June 7, 2014, Fichter was being held in the Polk County Jail with a bond set at US$520,000. Fichter was convicted and, on July 2, 2015, was sentenced to 22 years' imprisonment. A Polk County judge called her a predator during sentencing. The sentencing by Judge Glenn T. Shelby was immediately controversial, with the unusually long sentence being reviled by many, especially in Europe. Fichter is currently imprisoned in

Gadsden Correctional Facility The Gadsden Correctional Facility is a private state prison for women located in Quincy, Gadsden County, Florida, operated by Management and Training Corporation (MTC) under contract with the Florida Department of Corrections The Florida Dep ...

and is scheduled for release on January 19, 2035, when she will be age 50.

References

1984 births Living people Sex and the law Schoolteachers from Florida American women educators Place of birth missing (living people) School sexual abuse scandals 21st-century American criminals American female criminals People convicted of statutory rape offenses University of Florida alumni 21st-century American women American people convicted of child sexual abuse American rapists Sex scandals in the United States Female rapists {{US-crime-bio-stub Rape of males

Early life and career

Sexual abuse, trial, and sentencing

See also

References