Teacher hit with maximum sentence after she's found guilty of having sex in classroom with 8th-grade boy on graduation day

A former teacher in California has been hit with a maximum prison sentence after being found guilty of child sex abuse of an eighth-grade student on his graduation day, according to authorities.

The Gridley Police Department arrested Michelle Christine Solis, 46, in November 2023 after a concerned parent claimed "explicit photographs" of a Gridley Unified School District teacher were "circulating among students."

The attorney for the former teacher argued that she should receive probation because the incident was only 'one act.'

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Solis was having an illegal sexual relationship with one of her eighth-grade students at Sycamore Junior High School.

Solis allegedly “friended” the minor on Instagram and later sent the boy explicit photos of herself.

"Evidence showed Solis sent the boy four explicit photos of herself before having sexual intercourse with him in her classroom on the day of the boy’s 8th-grade graduation," the DA's office said.

Investigators allegedly verified the accusations by reviewing messages on the victim's cell phone; the teacher reportedly instructed the boy to delete their communications. Solis also gave the student "special treatment" in school, according to the DA's office.

Solis was charged with one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of 16. After she pleaded no contest, Butte County Superior Court Judge Michael Deems sentenced Solis to the maximum term: four years in state prison. Solis also must register as a sex offender and cannot contact the victim for 10 years.

The attorney for the former teacher argued that she should receive probation because the incident was only "one act." However, the DA's office said the sentence was appropriate due to the 29-year age difference between the minor and Solis, her position as a trusted member of the community, and a pattern of conduct that amounted to "grooming."

Judge Deems said at the sentencing, "The manner in which the crime was carried out demonstrated criminal sophistication in that the defendant groomed the victim in order to get the victim in a situation for sexual contact. The court finds that there is a factual basis for the plea, and it is the judgment of this court that the defendant is guilty of that offense."

Solis had been a teacher with the Gridley Unified School District for 20 years, according to police.

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