Marka Bodine, Tomball Junior High School Teacher received 60 days in jail for sexually abusing a 13-year-old student for 3 years

Tuesday saw the sentencing of a former teacher from the Tomball Independent School District who had been charged with sexually assaulting a former pupil in 2021.

In relation to severe sexual abuse of a kid under 14, Marka Bodine entered a guilty plea. Judge Greg Glass of the Harris County District Court sentenced her to 60 days in jail, though not right away because she had just given birth. She has until June 5, 2023, according to court records, to report to jail.

She’ll serve 10 years of probation and be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. According to the officials, the infant is not the victim’s child.

“There are certain types of cases that, in my opinion, really should only warrant punishment, and that is this kind of case,” said Harris County Prosecutor Janna Oswald, chief of the Crimes Against Children Division. “I’m heartbroken for the complainant and his family. I’m really disappointed in the outcome as a prosecutor – a child abuse prosecutor, and I’m disappointed as a citizen of Harris County.”

Although the offense might have resulted in a life term in prison, prosecutors requested the judge for a minimum sentence of 20 years.

Prosecutors asked the judge for a minimum sentence of 20 years, but the crime could have been punished by up to life in prison.

“The complainant is incredibly strong and he’s gone through a lot. He got up on the stand in this punishment case and he told his truth, he told everything that happened to him and that takes so much bravery,” Oswald said. “He was incredibly upset. He left the courtroom in the middle of the judge declaring a sentence because he was, he and his mother were very upset with the outcome.”

Bodine’s defense attorney said Judge Glass made the right decision in the case.

“The court weighed in on all facts presented regarding the offense conduct as well as any mitigating factors. No case is like another and not every case deserves prison. The court has the obligation to make findings of what is in the best interest of society as well as the victim in determining the sentence and we believe the Judge followed the law and handed down an appropriate punishment,” Bodine’s defense attorney Dustan Neyland wrote.

Inappropriate dating was discovered last year after Bodine reported harassment by a former student to the principal of Tomball Intermediate School, according to court filings. Bodine informed the principal that the 16-year-old boy was threatening to harm himself, had accessed her personal photos, and had created fabricated images of her.

According to investigators, a phone search of both Bodine’s and the boy’s phones turned up numerous messages and photographs the two had shared. A few of the pictures were of a sexual character.

According to the complaint, the youngster admitted to investigators that Bodine became his friend while they were playing an online video game and later started texting each other. After he turned 13, he claimed, the two started sending graphic photographs and engaging in sexual activity. For the following three years, they kept up their romance.

According to the affidavit, the youngster informed investigators that Bodine moved into his complex following their divorce and that they frequently had sex in her classroom and car.

According to the investigators, Bodine eventually acknowledged having sexual contact with the former pupil and communicating with her through the sharing of graphic photos and videos.

“It’s really hard to wrap our minds around why someone would do such a thing, but evil exists in the world,” said Tomball ISD parent Jennifer Kratky, whose daughter was in Bodine’s class at the time of her arrest. “It’s even now more upsetting to find out that she was given this ridiculously light sentence.”

The previous week, Kratky declared her candidacy for the Tomball ISD School Board. She doesn’t hold the district accountable for Bodine’s behavior and thinks it handled the incident appropriately at the time it occurred, but she does think it lost a chance to involve parents.

She suggested Tomball ISD offer online safety and social media grooming awareness training and located a trainer, but the district allegedly disregarded her recommendation.

“I want to increase safety in our schools by increasing parent involvement, increasing parent engagement,” she said. “A lot of parents just don’t know how common this type of crime is.”

Last known contact information

Address: 1515 Rudel Dr Apt 215 Tomball, TX 77375
Phone: (903) 815-6572
Email: markabodine@gmail.com
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marka_lee