The Brianne Altice case involved a former English teacher at Davis High School in Utah who pleaded guilty in April 2015 to three counts of forcible sexual abuse for sexual contact with three teenage male students. She was sentenced to two to 30 years in the Utah State Prison, served roughly five years, and was released on parole on September 10, 2019.
How the Case Unfolded
Altice was first arrested in October 2013 after a student reported a sexual relationship with her. A second arrest came in December 2013, when a 16-year-old told police he had multiple sexual encounters with her at Davis High School.1OregonLive. Utah Teacher Brianne Altice She posted $10,000 bail, but 2nd District Judge John Morris later revoked it after allegations that she had continued sexual contact with a third student while out on release.2Lehigh Valley Live. Utah Teacher Brianne Altice
A third arrest followed in January 2015 after a fourth teenager came forward. Court documents said Altice had sexual contact with that minor between November 2013 and August 2014. The new charges included three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of dealing in material harmful to a minor, tied in part to a sexually explicit photograph she sent by text in June 2014.3MyFox8. Former Teacher Arrested Again for Sex With Minor While Out on Bail1OregonLive. Utah Teacher Brianne Altice
The Charges and the Plea Deal
All told, Altice faced 14 felony counts, including rape, forcible sodomy, and forcible sexual abuse.4KUTV. Brianne Altice Pleads Guilty to Forcible Sexual Abuse of Three Teen Boys Judge Thomas Kay had ordered four separate trials, one for each of the three original victims and a fourth for the alleged conduct while she was out on bail.5Deseret News. Ex-Teacher Accused of Sex With Students Will Face Four Trials, Judge Orders
Instead of going to trial, Altice took a plea deal in the 2nd District Court in Farmington in April 2015. She pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, and prosecutors dropped the other 11 charges. The three victims were male students, one 16 and two 17 at the time of the abuse.6KATU. Former Teacher Faces 15 Years for Sex With Three Boys4KUTV. Brianne Altice Pleads Guilty to Forcible Sexual Abuse of Three Teen Boys
Sentencing
On July 9, 2015, Judge Thomas Kay sentenced Altice to two to 30 years in the Utah State Prison. Two of the three one-to-15-year sentences were ordered to run consecutively, with the third running concurrently. Kay credited her with 176 days already served in the Davis County Jail.7ABC4. Brianne Altice Sentenced to 2-30 Years in Prison
Speaking before sentencing, Altice said, “I’m human and I messed up during a very vulnerable point in my life,” and asked the judge to “practice mercy and compassion.” Kay was unmoved. “We expect teachers to help and not hurt our children,” he told her. “You were the adult. You were the teacher. You were the one who could have stopped this from happening.”7ABC4. Brianne Altice Sentenced to 2-30 Years in Prison
Deputy Davis County Attorney Cristina Ortega pushed back on the idea that male victims of female teachers are somehow less harmed, telling the court, “Society for some reason says ‘Well they’re boys, they’re men.’ This would be any kid’s fantasy. It’s not.” A mother of one of the victims also spoke about what she called a double standard in how male and female sex offenders are treated.8Fox 13 Now. Brianne Altice Sentenced for Sex With Students
Civil Lawsuits Against the Davis School District
Victims and their families sued both Altice and the Davis School District, alleging that school officials knew about her behavior and failed to protect students. Former Davis High principal Dee Burton acknowledged receiving an anonymous letter in August 2013 containing photos of Altice on a picnic with a student. Burton said he warned her not to get “too close” to students but took no further action after she said she was helping the student with family problems. Complaints also referenced what was said to be a running joke among students: “Who is Ms. Altice sleeping with now?”9Deseret News. Lawsuit Filed by Student in Teacher Sex Case Dismissed10Salt Lake Tribune. Brianne Altice Rebuffs Lawsuit Claims Against Her and the School District
The suits collided with Utah’s Governmental Immunity Act. The Utah Attorney General’s Office argued that school districts are shielded from liability for assaults by employees because assault falls outside the scope of a teacher’s job duties. A judge dismissed one victim’s state-court lawsuit against the district on those grounds in June 2015, with no settlement.9Deseret News. Lawsuit Filed by Student in Teacher Sex Case Dismissed A 2017 appellate ruling affirmed that the district was immune from damages.11Standard-Examiner. Court: Davis Schools Immune From Damages in Altice Teacher Sex Suit
One family refiled in federal court in December 2015, bringing a civil rights claim under 42 U.S.C. ยง 1983 against the district and its board of education. The case, Guild-Wolff v. Davis County School District, ran for more than four years before the plaintiff moved to dismiss. On April 8, 2020, Judge Robert J. Shelby granted the motion, dismissing the remaining claims without prejudice, and judgment was entered in favor of the defendants. No settlement amount appears in the court record.12PACER Monitor. Guild-Wolff v. Davis County School District et al
Prison, Parole, and Where She Is Now
Altice entered the Utah State Prison in July 2015. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole denied her first bid for release in January 2017 and ordered her to complete a two-year sex offender treatment program before another hearing.13Fox 13 Now. Brianne Altice Denied Parole, Scheduled for Re-Hearing in 2019
She finished the treatment program along with a business technology course and was granted parole on April 30, 2019. “I’m accountable for this. I did this,” she told the board. “And with that knowledge comes growth.”14Deseret News. Parole Granted for Ex-Davis High Teacher Who Abused Students She was released on September 10, 2019, having served roughly five years including her jail time before sentencing. The state sentencing guideline for her offenses was 60 months; she served about 56.15KUTV. Former Teacher Who Sexually Abused Three Students to Be Released in September
On release, Altice said she had a full-time job offer with Canines With A Cause, a program that pairs shelter dogs with military veterans, and said she would continue therapy.14Deseret News. Parole Granted for Ex-Davis High Teacher Who Abused Students She remains on the sex offender registry and will stay on parole until 2045 unless she is granted early termination.16ABC4. Former Teacher Convicted of Sex Crimes Granted Parole