A former Skyview High School science teacher pleaded guilty Thursday to having sex with a student.
Nathan J. Botnen, 33, will be sentenced Jan. 7. He faces between 15 and 20 months in prison for the monthslong sexual relationship he had with a student during the 2007-2008 school year.
Botnen, who earlier had been released on bond, was escorted from the Clark County Courthouse to the Clark County Jail by his attorney, Gerry Wear, after he entered his plea to two counts of first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor.
“Why don’t you tell me what you did to make you guilty?,” Superior Court Judge Rich Melnick asked Botnen.
Botnen looked down and then over at his attorney. Wear simply said on his behalf that his client was a teacher and had a sexual relationship with his student when she was 17. The crimes happened between January and July 2008.
In explaining his background, Botnen told the judge that he had no criminal record and has a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University in Portland.
Because his conviction involves a sex offense, a corrections officer must perform a presentence report on him to be considered by a judge for sentencing.
The case came to light in October, when the victim’s mother, prompted by the arrest of a Skyview band assistant on suspicion of sexual misconduct in a separate case, alerted authorities. She had discovered alarming text messages on her daughter’s phone two years ago, but didn’t confront her daughter because she was worried about damaging the mother-daughter relationship, investigators said.
When questioned by investigators, the girl estimated she had sex with Botnen about 30 times. Botnen later confessed to the relationship and told investigators that he knew he violated the law and school policies, according to court documents.
While the age of consent in Washington is 16, it’s a crime for a teacher, coach or any other adult in a position of authority to have sex with a student.
Botnen, who was a teacher and coach for 10 years, resigned from the Vancouver School District, effective Oct. 31, said Missy Hallead, the school district’s executive director of human resources.
The school district notified the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Office of Professional Practices, which could formally revoke Botnen’s teaching certificate. No decision has been made yet, an OSPI spokesman said.
Court documents reveal that Botnen’s wife of 10 years, also a teacher at Skyview, filed for divorce on Monday. They have three children.
Laura McVicker: 360-735-4516 or laura.mcvicker@columbian.com.
