Ex-Teacher’s Aide Sentenced for Teen Sex

A judge sentenced a former teacher's aide to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a male student.

Donna Goebel, 45, maintained her innocence during sentencing in Burlington County court Monday.

The Westampton woman expressed "extreme regrets" for what she called an "uncharacteristic situation" but said "I did not have sex with the victim."

The teen, 16, testified that the two had sex several times in early 2008.

Goebel got a little sympathy from the judge who said he didn't see her as a predator, but more as a woman whose predicament -- being in an awful marriage -- probably led to her "foolish" behavior.

"It's possible she just wanted to be around someone who was nice to her and got caught up in something she shouldn't have," Superior Court Judge James Morley says in a Courier Post report.

Consensual sex between a 16-year-old and an adult is legal except when the adult holds a position like a teacher's aide, the judge said.