A Garland High School Teacher Pleaded Guilty Yesterday to Videotaping Himself Having Sex With Four Students

By Eric Nicholson Wed., Dec. 19 2012 at 1:00 PM

Willis Bassham

On May 22, Garland police raided the home of Willis Bassham, a 40-year-old social studies teacher at Garland High School, and seized his cell phone and several computers. Stored there were sexually explicit photos and videos of at least four female students.

One, who was 17 at the time, was shown in a 47-second video clip giving him a blow job. Another 10-second clip showed the two having sex.

Bassham was arrested and, Tuesday, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography, for which he faces a maximum 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

As wildly unethical as it may be for a teacher to leverage his position of power to convince students to have sex with him, that was not Bassham's crime. The age of consent in Texas is 17, and none were younger than that when he slept with them, according to court filings.

Where Bassham ran afoul of the law was in videotaping himself doing it. Federal law considers 17-year-olds minors and thus covered under child pornography rules. Besides, one of the girls was 16 when he first received pornographic photos of her.

Bassham's sentencing is scheduled for April 15.

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exGHSparent

Unfortunately, this does not surprise me, especially of GHS.This pervert was my child's AP History teacher. I never liked him or his methods of teaching. I especially didn’t appreciate the fact that he openly encouraged and allowed the students to break school policy as some of the methods of his teaching, or the fact that GHS overlooked that. GHS has many issues and yet they seem to stay out of the news, (bullying and sex acts on campus). As much as I hate these events took place, I am glad they have been publicized, (even if only on radio and in the Observer).Hopefully parents, faculty, administrators and the public will keep a closer watch on GHS.

DOCensors

Not even going to bother to correct the misinformation , Tone?

JaniceA

Fucking disgusting

primi_timpano topcommenter

This blog is on a literary roll, e.g., "leverage his position of power." I am still trying to figure out just what position that may be.

Montemalone topcommenter

3 Like

Has that pic been photoshopped or does he have a smokestack for a head?

iwearblack

Shouldn't that be "pled guilty," as in "having entered a plea of 'not guilty'"?

mcdallas

@iwearblack In journalism, it's "pleaded guilty".

Here, let me Google that for you: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=pleaded+guilty+or+plead+guilty

DOCensors

@mcdallas @iwearblack Hey Eric has to get something right at least once in a while!

everlastingphelps topcommenter

4 Like

Ditto DOC. The law now is that age doesn't matter, a teacher is a position of authority and can't have sex with students. The end.

DOCensors

4 Like

"As wildly unethical as it may be for a teacher to leverage his position of power to convince students to have sex with him, that was not Bassham's crime. The age of consent in Texas is 17, and none were younger than that when he slept with them, according to court filings."

Christ, I should get paid for correcting all of Eric's idiotic and misinformed bullshit. In the state of Texas-- you know that place where we are? It is a felony for a teacher to have sex with a student REGARDLESS of age.