CONNECTICUT
The Day
By Karen Florin
Publication: theday.com
Published 06/25/2013 12:00
A lawyer representing a former Academy of the Holy Family student described disgraced history teacher Robert Pfeiffer as a “groomer” and a “predator” as Pfeiffer was sentenced Tuesday in New London Superior Court for sending sexually explicit text messages to the student in 2010.
Pfeiffer, 31, of Hebron had pleaded no contest to risk of injury to a minor in April as attorneys were selecting a jury for a trial in New London Superior Court. Prosecutor Theresa Anne Ferryman offered him a five-year prison sentence, fully suspended, and five years of probation in exchange for the felony conviction and his inability to teach for the next five years.
The victim, who has since graduated at the top of her class and moved out of state, did not want to testify against Pfeiffer at his trial. Attorney Bernard Steadman, who served as a guardian ad litem for the teen, said she is thriving despite the incident with Pfeiffer and other trauma in her life. Steadman did not buy Pfeiffer’s defense that he had “sexted” with the girl to see if she would be able to “say no” to boys in the future.
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