Ex-Tooele teacher pleads guilty

Leslie Baird, a former Tooele County School District employee, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse in connection with illegal behavior involving a 17-year-old student.

Baird, 42, was fired from the district last spring. She started in 2000 as a special-education aide, and for the past two years, she has coordinated the math remediation lab at the high school.

She will be sentenced Jan. 9, 2007.

Baird originally was charged with two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy; second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse; and two counts of unlawfully supplying alcohol to minors, a class A misdemeanor.

She also was charged in another case with three counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony.

Third District Judge Mark Kouris dismissed all but the forcible sexual-abuse charge in the first case and dismissed the entire harmful materials case as part of the plea agreement. The judge ordered a presentence report.

Prosecutor David Cundick said his office believes this outcome is correct.

"We take these cases very seriously, and we'll ensure that they are prosecuted," Cundick said. "Our office feels this is the appropriate resolution."

Accusations of illegal behavior by Baird came to light when two parents, acting separately, called police regarding Baird's conduct in June. Other claims surfaced in August.

Tooele County School Superintendent Mike Johnsen said Baird was "released from employment last spring."

"She hasn't been employed by us since the incident arose last spring and surfaced with the police department," he said. "We did our own investigation and released her."

She is out on bail pending sentencing. A second-degree felony can carry a sentence of one-to-15 years in prison.

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