Guilty! Susan Kathleen Duursma, Bismarck, North Dakota (arrested Sept 2013)

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Susan Kathleen Duursma, 34, physical education teacher at Wachter Middle School, Bismarck Public Schools, Bismarck, North Dakota, "accused of having sexual relations with a minor between the ages of 15 and 18"

KQCD: Teacher Arrested for Corruption of a Minor (Sept 23 2013)

Susan Kathleen Duursma, a teacher a Wachter Middle School, was arrested for corruption of a minor, a class C felony. Police say the act happened sometime between March 1 and July 1 of this year. Duursma was taken to the Burleigh County Detention Center on Friday. ​

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Bismarck Tribune: Bismarck teacher arrested for act with a minor (Sept 23 20113)

A 34-year-old Wachter Middle School teacher [Susan Kathleen Duursma]was arrested Friday for corruption or solicitation of an underage student. Bismarck Police are continuing their investigation. Police say the female teacher was arrested Friday for an alleged sexual act with a boy between the age 15 and 17. It occurred between March 1 and July 1, according to a police report.​

Dickinson Press: Bismarck police say middle school teacher arrested (Sept 23 2013)

 

Bismarck Tribune: Wachter teacher charged with corruption of minor (Sept 23 2013)

A Wachter Middle School physical education teacher was charged Monday with three counts of felony Class C corruption or solicitation of minors. Susan Kathleen Duursma, 34, appeared in court Monday. Her bond was set at $1,000 along with the stipulations that she have no contact with the victim, or any other minors, not including her own child. The prosecutor, Burleigh County Assistant State’s Attorney Pam Nesvig, asked for a $5,000 bond with the same stipulations, referring to a similar case last year with a $2,000 bond and Duursma’s minor criminal history — most notably, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident charges in 2010 and a deferred prosecution simple assault in 2007.​

 

WDAZ: Bismarck Teacher Charged for Sex Act with Teen (Sept 23 2013)

34 year old Susan Duursma is charged with three counts of Corruption of a Minor, a class C Felony ... According to a criminal complaint filed with the Burleigh County Court, Duursma had oral sex with a 15 year old boy three times between March 1st and June 30th in Bismarck. Court documents say the sex acts happened at Duursma's home and in a vehicle twice. The charges came after the Bismarck Public School District reported the incident to police.​

 

Valley News Live: Former Teacher Charged With Having Sex with Student Pleads Not Guilty (Nov 28 2013)

A former Bismarck physical education teacher accused of having sex with a middle school student has pleaded not guilty. Susan Duursma appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to three counts of corruption or solicitation of minors. ​

 

WDAY: Bismarck teacher accused of sex with student resigns (Feb 26 2014)

A female Bismarck middle school teacher accused of having sex with a 15-year old male student has resigned. The Bismarck Tribune reports that the School Board accepted the resignation of 35 year-old Susan Duursma on Tuesday ... She has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial May 6.​

 

Bismark Tribune: Defense moves to dismiss sex charges against former Bismarck teacher (Mar 12 2014)

Duursma’s attorneys, Tom Dickson and Justin Vinje, filed a motion to dismiss the charges on Tuesday, “on grounds of selective prosecution and abuse of process.”​

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Dickson and Vinje wrote in the brief filed with the motion that the alleged victim and two witnesses in the case made an unauthorized audio recording of an encounter with Duursma for which they should have faced criminal charges. “The three high school athletes in this case violated state and federal laws. They have not been charged. North Dakota has outlawed such surreptitious and illegal recordings,” the defense brief said. “Federal law also criminalizes their surreptitious recording and subsequent degradation of a vulnerable woman.” The document describes the contents of the recording and describes it as “chilling.”​

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“During the first two minutes of the recording, three distinct, male voices are audible,” the brief said. It goes on to say one of the male voices directs the other two, who are laughing, to hide in a far back seat. The voices discuss whether “she” is coming, then a door opens, and the voice of the male who remained in the front of the vehicle directs the female to get in the back seat and close the door. The brief said the female voice was barely audible. Minutes after entering the vehicle, the female exits and the door closes again. The document said the boys laughed and celebrated following her exit.​

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“They have bagged a teacher. A broken, vulnerable, battered recovering alcoholic woman has been lured into their web of deceit, deception and degradation,” the brief said. It said the boys later shared the contents of the audiotape with friends and teammates.​

The Republic: Attorneys of Bismarck teacher accused of having sex with student ask judge to dismiss case (Mar 12 2014)

 

Susan Duursma Sentenced to Sixty Days in Jail for Sex Crime with Teen

Susan Duursma was sentenced to six years with all but 60 days suspended. That means she'll spend sixty days in jail. In May, the former Wachter Middle School teacher pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse-- a class B felony. She will not have to register as a sex offender.

http://www.kxnet.com/story/26441803...to-sixty-days-in-jail-for-sex-crime-with-teen