The Arkansas teacher who was once surprised on national television by her adoring students has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for having sex with a 17-year-old student up to 30 times — including during a class trip to Washington DC.
Married mother Heather Hare, 33, was ordered last week to serve 13 years in the federal sexual assault case, along with 20 years to be served concurrently, in a Saline County Circuit Court sexual assault case, KATV reported.
Hare taught home economics classes at Bryant High School, where she met the victim during his senior year and gave him her phone number, Instagram and Snapchat.
The once-beloved teacher first made headlines in 2020 when she was surprised on “Good Morning America” by her students saying goodbye after her class was canceled during the pandemic.
The victim — identified only as “J.R.” — told police that he met Hare on the first day of his senior year at Bryant High School in the fall of 2021, Assistant US Attorney John Ray White said during Hare’s sentencing hearing.
“Hare began one-on-one counseling sessions with the minor victim, eventually giving him her personal phone number and primarily communicating with him through Instagram and Snapchat,” the prosecutor’s office said.
“At one point, Ms. Hare told J.R. that she had a dream of them having sex,” White said.
Hare engaged in sexual activities with the victim between 20 and 30 times throughout the 2021-2022 school year in several locations including her home, her car, classroom, and the high school’s parking lots.
Hare and the victim also engaged in sexual activity during an April 2022 school trip to Washington DC that she was chaperoning.
“J.R. advised they planned to have sex on the trip and not have to worry about being caught,” White said. “Hare did come to his hotel room and the two engaged in sex.”
Hare, who was arrested in April 2023, pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year to one count of interstate/foreign travel for prostitution/sexual activity by coercion and one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
She also pleaded guilty in Saline County Circuit court to two charges of sexual assault in the first degree, both related to sexual activity with a Bryant High School student.
“Teachers who have sex with their minor students should take note of today’s sentence for Ms. Hare which reflects the consequences of abusing her position of trust and taking advantage of the vulnerability of this minor to repeatedly engage in unlawful sexual activity,” United States Attorney Jonathan Ross said during her sentencing.
Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Hare to serve a lifetime of supervised release.
