A former contracted food services worker at Mendon Middle/High School will spend at least five years in prison for sexually abusing two students.
RELATED: MICHIGAN WOMAN CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT OF MINORS AFTER MEETING THEM THROUGH SCHOOL JOB
A St. Joseph County Circuit Court judge on Friday sentenced Kaitlyn Lee Sand, 34, of Three Rivers, to five to 15 years in prison after she pleaded no contest in December to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed five additional charges, including four other CSC counts. Upon her release, Sand will be required to register as a sex offender, potentially for life.
Sand was arrested in September following an investigation into allegations that she sexually assaulted underage students she met through her work at Mendon Middle/High School.
Investigators said the abuse occurred between February and April 2023 and involved two students, one 15, and another who was 16-years-old. Authorities alleged Sand used social media platforms to repeatedly contact the victims and arrange encounters.
Mendon police began investigating Sand in December 2023 when a 15-year-old boy told them he’d had sex with her in March of that year, court documents show.
The student claimed Sand had sex with him at his parents’ house when they were out of town, according to court documents.
The teenager also told police Sand performed oral sex on him two or three times in a Three Rivers store parking lot.
The second victim was a 16-year-old Mendon student, according to court documents, which also alleges she communicated with minors over Snapchat to sell them alcohol, arranging to meet up at Mendon United Methodist Church.
While Sand was never employed directly by Mendon Community Schools, she worked as a contracted food service employee assigned to the district from August 2021 through March 2023. Officials previously confirmed she is no longer associated with the district.
After the allegations came to light, Mendon Community Schools said administrators worked closely with the Mendon Police Department throughout the investigation. Superintendent Leasa Griffith-Mathews stated the district’s priority was student safety and that officials would continue cooperating with law enforcement.
By entering a no contest plea, Sand did not admit guilt but accepted conviction and sentencing, bringing the case to a close after prosecutors initially filed multiple criminal sexual conduct charges including two first degree counts of CSC which included the possibility of a life without parole sentence.
Discuss this on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1R1dqq25Y9/