ST. GEORGE — A former school counselor was sentenced last week to jail time for engaging in sexual activity with a student.
Heidi Tasso, 50, pleaded guilty in June to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a third-degree felony.
5th District Judge John W. Walton on Thursday ordered Tasso to serve 120 days in the Purgatory Correctional Facility followed by 36 months probation.
Tasso also must serve 200 hours of community service, pay $6,100 in restitution and register as a sex offender.
The charge stems from a June 2, 2008, incident while Tasso was employed at Millcreek High School.
She and the teen had a sexual encounter at Tasso’s home, according to court documents.
Tasso was originally hired by the Washington County School District in 1998. District officials learned about allegations against Tasso in September 2015 and launched an investigation. She resigned nine days later.
Read more: Former St. George school counselor charged with sexual misconduct with student
A St. George Police investigation into the 2008 incident began in June 2016.
In November 2014, Tasso received a Human Rights Activist award at the annual Utah School Counselor Association Conference at Dixie State University. Recipients of the award are chosen based on nominations from colleagues for “understanding cultural differences and supporting the underserved student population.”
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Twitter: @MoriKessler
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.
I guess this kind of stuff is so common here no one cares enough to even leave a comment.
Mike, we were waiting for you to tell us all about it.
does it matter? over and done with..
Your article should state there are other victims who unfortunately are passed the statutes of limitations in their cases. People need to read Emily Havens article from The Spectrum Newspaper. Her article is well written and it shows the impact statement that the victim said.
You should’ve linked the article then…
Here is the Spectrum article with more details:
https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2018/08/09/former-southern-utah-school-counselor-heidi-tasso-sentenced/949375002/