Thanks again for all your efforts in keeping us all updated on the status of this case. 5 years and 5 years probation is pretty light, but it seems somewhat fair. I think he will also get credit for time served, and with good behavior he could be out very soon.

Below is the article:

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009

From the Montgomery County Gazette:

Former middle school teacher to serve five years in prison on abuse charge

Joseph Ballmann of Rockville also barred from teaching

by Melissa J. Brachfeld | Staff Writer

A former Rockville middle school teacher will serve five years in prison for sexually abusing a former student.
Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Terrence J. McGann on Wednesday morning sentenced Joseph Robert Ballmann, 48, of Rockville to 15 years in prison with all but five years suspended. He also sentenced Ballmann to five years of probation with several conditions, including that he never be allowed to teach again.

Ballmann, a former teacher at Robert Frost Middle School, pleaded guilty in November to one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of exhibiting obscene movies to a minor, said Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Herdman.

He had been indicted on several other sexual offense charges, but they were dropped as part of the plea agreement, she said.

Stephen Mercer, one of Ballmann’s defense attorneys, declined to comment after the sentencing.

Ballmann was arrested May 2, 2007, at his home in the 11100 block of Cedarwood Drive and charged in connection with the sexual abuse of a former Frost student, who was then 15 years old. Police said that Ballmann abused the student on numerous occasions from spring 2004 to May 2005 at Ballmann’s residence. The student is now a high school senior.

Ballmann was arrested again on June 7, 2007, in the home of family member at 81900 block of Falling Star Road in Germantown on allegations involving another student. Police said that Ballmann allegedly engaged in inappropriate sexual contact between 1995 and 1997 with a boy who was in the seventh and eighth grades at Westland Middle School in Bethesda at the time. The victim was 24 years old at the time of Ballmann’s arrest.

Herdman said Ballmann has been held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Clarksburg since November awaiting sentencing.

Kate Harrison, a spokeswoman for Montgomery County Public Schools, said Ballmann resigned from the school system on Dec. 31, 2007.

Before McGann handed down the sentence, Kenneth Ravenell, another of Ballmann’s lawyers, called his client a “good person who committed a very serious crime.”

He asked McGann to look at Ballmann’s record of service to the community.

“People who do good things can do bad things as well,” Ravenell said.

Frank Ballmann Jr., Joseph Ballmann’s brother, said he was “shocked” when he first heard of the charges.

He said he has always known his brother to be a “very caring person” and that he would be there to support him upon his release from prison.

Herdman said she recognized Ballmann as a productive member of society, but that many who commit similar crimes often are and use their positions in schools and places of worship to prey on children.

“It’s almost a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation because these crimes happen behind closed doors,” she said.

The former Frost student stood before McGann in the courtroom and told him he had lacked a male role model in his life and Ballmann was almost like a father to him.

“He really raked me over the coals, he raked my mother over the coals and my brother over the coals,” he said.

The Gazette does not identify victims of sexual abuse.

As a result of Ballmann’s actions, he said he has had trouble dating and trusting other male teachers.

“I’m glad he pled guilty over all he put me through,” he said.

Ballmann, looking somber in a charcoal-gray suit, told McGann he is sorry for all that he has put the victim and his family through.

“The most important words that I can say today are that I’m sorry,” he said.

Glancing into the gallery of the courtroom, Ballmann said he prays for the former student and his family every day.

“I can only imagine what [the student] has gone through because of my actions,” he said.

Ballmann added he was ready to serve his sentence.

“I hope one day after I’ve paid my debt to society that I can be forgiven,” he said.

After a short pause, McGann said he felt badly for the teenager and his family.

“I understand what you folks have gone through and are going through,” he said.

McGann praised the student for having the courage to speak at the sentencing and urged him to not dwell on the past.

“Move forward and help your family and you’ll be fine,” he said.

Turning his attention to Ballmann, McGann said people make mistakes, but what Ballmann did is inexcusable.

“What he did wasn’t a mistake,” he said. “You intended to do what you did.”

He said parents should know their children are safe at school and students should be able to trust their teachers.

“When a teacher behaves like you did, Mr. Ballmann, that trust is breached and all teachers are indicted,” McGann said.

He also called Ballmann’s actions “predatory” and “sneaky.”

Ballmann will also serve six months in prison for the single count of exhibiting obscene movies to a minor, Herdman said. That sentence will be served concurrently with his five-year sentence for sexual abuse of a minor. He will also be credited with some jail time served.

Herdman said Ballmann will serve his sentence in a state correctional facility.

Herdman also declined to comment on the outcome of the sentencing.

The victim’s mother, who is not being identified to protect the anonymity of her son, said she was grateful to the State’s Attorney’s Office and county police detectives for their work.

“I want to thank them all for their support and getting us through this,” she said. “It was tough on my family and we’ll always be indebted to them for what they did.”

108102-C 09:00 AM 7 8 BALLMAN, JOSEPH R.
107925-C 09:00 AM 7 8 BALLMANN, JOSEPH R.
109502-C 09:00 AM 7 8 BALLMANN, JOSEPH R.

If you fail to realize this, I truely believe (note: this is my opinion) that you are part of the problem. Do not promote psycho-babble that surrounds inappropriate touching of kids. His actions should be an indication of the absolute when we follow our moral compass.

“Pat, say what you want, the truth is, you are still argueing with a bunch of kids who actually had him and are trying to tell you the other side of the story, a story which you have barely skimmed the surface of. How many teachers do you know who can get a class full of seventh graders to think Shakespeare is cool and interesting? I remember when we did our unit on Poe, everyone reacted with enthusiasm and interest, much more so than did my more recent classmates when doing a unit on Poe. Despit what he may or may not have done, he is still an amazing teacher and always will be.”

For gods sakes, YOU BAFFLE ME!!!! there is a bigger lesson to take away from here. HE WILL ALWAYS BE A GOOD TEACHER??? HE WILL ALWAYS BE A PERVERT AND THAT OVERRIDES ANY OTHER OBSERVATION WE SHOULD MAKE AS A SOCIETY!! Are all of you insane, INCLUDING all you kids??? You need to learn a fact of life that when people like Ballmann exist, everyone is at risk, and more importantly a child’s innocence and right to grow up without having a f***** up mind.

Please understand, it matters not how well he organized a class, because if underneath his intentions are sick, that just means he is a great con-artist. Why can I say this even though kids were “enthusiastic” about his class? Newsflash, I was a student of his. He even gave me a graduation gift when I left (insert jokes here). To quote pat, because it is seemingly the only post I could find to make the most valid argument against any of your “he was a great teacher” bull:

”
Take a minute to wrap your feeble mind around that.

If a cop was the best cop in the world, but he sometimes murdered his suspects, guess what stupid? It makes him a bad cop.

If a doctor writes a wonderful new procedure on transplanting organs but does so by butchering his patients, it makes him a bad doctor.

If a fireman is given citations for wonderful rescues, but it was him that set the fires, guess what stupid? It makes him a lousy fireman.

If a president fights a war on terror, but gives away the country to illegal immigrants, it makes him a lousy president.

And finally, if a teacher gets a kid to learn to read but slips his pinkie into his butthole, it makes him a lousy teacher.

Ballman was a school bus driver before he took a job as a substitute teacher with the school. Bartenders make more money than a substitute teacher, so don’t try to glorify Ballman’s illustrious career in education or think that he was some saint sent from the schoolboard.

And I promise you that the people who voted for him to win teacher of the year are ashamed of their decision.”

Now, obviously he is human filth. But I would be lying if I said he was a bad teacher, because like I said he was actually a very good one. Scary. What’s even scarier is that me and my friends did hang out with him on a few occasions, but he never tried anything, at least not with me.