Ex-teacher given max in sex case

The smile came back to haunt former Davidsen Middle School teacher Stephanie Ragusa

A judge said Monday that her constant grinning and frivolity during court hearings undermined her claims of remorse for having sex with two male students, then ages 14 and 16.

That and the fact she was caught leaving the home of the older boy after just having sex with him despite already having been arrested twice for having sex with each boy.

"I'm not sure you've accepted responsibility," said Circuit Judge Chet A. Tharpe in announcing his sentence. "You stopped only because you got caught and put in jail."

Tharpe sentenced Ragusa, 31, to 10 years in prison as well as 15 years of sex offender probation upon her release.

It was the maximum he could impose in a plea bargain Ragusa struck with prosecutors and more than triple that imposed recently on any Hillsborough County teacher convicted of sexual improprieties with a student.

The sentence stunned Ragusa's attorney, Robert Herce.

"I was not expecting that harsh of a sentence," he said.

Herce presented testimony that Ragusa had undiagnosed and untreated mental diseases when she had sex with the students. Her jail psychiatrist diagnosed her as bipolar with borderline personality disorder.

Ragusa's father asked the judge for leniency so she could be home to help care for her older autistic brother.

Tharpe, however, pointed to her "lackadaisical" attitude during previous court hearings and her continuing to have sex despite the repeated arrests.

"I've gleaned you are a selfish person. You knew exactly what you were doing," he said. "You put your interests in front of the law, your family and your brother's needs."

Assistant State Attorney Rita Peters said teachers are supposed to be heroes and that the sentence will reinforce that message.

"The state of Florida isn't going to compromise the safety of our children - no matter who you are," she said.

Ragusa admitted to having sex three times with a 14-year-old she met during the 2006-07 school year when he was assigned to help her get around campus because she was in a wheelchair after breaking a foot.

His mother said her son had emotional problems that Ragusa used to exploit him.

"I feel you were very conniving in picking out these boys and preying on them and seducing them," she said.

Authorities said Ragusa had sex with the older boy about 20 times.

Ragusa read a prepared statement at her sentencing. She apologized to her victims, their families and her family.

"I sincerely apologize for the pain and aggravation I caused," she said. "I never intended to cause anyone any pain."

The previous longest sentence given a teacher in recent years caught having sex with a student was the three-year prison tem given to teacher and coach Jaymee Wallace for having sex with a 14-year-old girl.