Jennifer Fichter

{{Infobox person

| name = Jennifer Fichter

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|12|8}}

| birth_place = United States

| baptised =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| other_names =

| education = Paxon School for Advanced Studies

| alma_mater = University of Florida (BA)

| occupation = English teacher

| years_active = 2007–2014

| employer = Robinswood Middle School (Orange County, Florida), Kathleen High School

| criminal_charge = Sexual battery

| criminal_penalty = 22 years' imprisonment

| criminal_status = Convicted and incarcerated

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| parents =

| relatives =

| website =

}}

Jennifer Christine Fichter (born December 8, 1984) is an American former teacher who was convicted in Polk County, Florida, United States, in 2015 of sexual battery against three 17-year-old male students.{{cite web|author= |url=http://pix11.com/2015/07/04/former-florida-teacher-sentenced-to-22-years-for-having-sex-with-high-school-students/ |title=Former Florida teacher sentenced to 22 years for having sex with high school students | New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV |work=WPIX 11 New York |publisher=Pix11.com |date=2015-07-04 |access-date=2015-07-09}}{{cite web|author= |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/06/jennifer-fichter-teacher-sex_n_7012166.html |title=Florida Teacher Jennifer Fichter Pleads Guilty To 37 Counts In Student Sex Case |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date= 6 April 2015|access-date=2015-07-09}}{{cite web|url=http://archive.wtsp.com/assetpool/documents/140605111211_fichter%20info%203%20with%20affidavit.pdf |title=State of Florida v. Jennifer C. Fichter |publisher=Archive.wtsp.com |access-date=2015-07-09 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} She was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment.{{cite web|last=Glasser |first=Eric|url=http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/07/02/polk-teacher-sentenced-for-sex-with-students/29624059/ |title=Lakeland teacher gets 22 years for sex with 3 students |website=WTSP |date=2015-07-02 |access-date=2021-12-08 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150713193349/http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/07/02/polk-teacher-sentenced-for-sex-with-students/29624059/ |archive-date=2015-07-13 |url-status=dead}}

Early life and career

Jennifer Fichter was born on December 8, 1984, and graduated from Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville, Florida, in June 2003. She then attended the University of Florida from August 2003 to December 2006 earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in English. She held instructional teaching positions at Robinswood Middle School, Orange County, Florida, from August 13, 2007, to December 19, 2008, when she resigned pending the outcome an investigation for alleged offenses of inappropriate behavior.{{cite web|url=http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1146766/ocps-investigation-report-jennifer-fichter.pdf|title=Orange County Schools – Jennifer Fichter|publisher=S3.documentcloud.org|access-date=2015-07-09}}

Sexual abuse, trial, and sentencing

Fichter was hired as an English teacher at Kathleen High School on August 29, 2011, and was paid US$40,530 per year. Fichter was fired by the Polk County School Board on April 22, 2014, after her arrest for molesting three of her male students, all 17 years old, more than 37 times between August 2012 and April 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theledger.com/news/20160911/convicted-teacher-seeks-lighter-sentence|title=Convicted teacher seeks lighter sentence|first=John Chambliss The|last=Ledger|website=The Ledger}}

As of June 7, 2014, Fichter was being held in the Polk County Jail with a bond set at US$520,000.{{cite web|last1=Fichter |first1=Jennifer |title=Polk County Inmates |url=http://www.polksheriff.org/inq/pages/inmate.aspx?BookingNumber=2014-007703 |website=www.polksherf.org |publisher=Polk County Sheriffs Office |access-date=2014-06-07 |ref=Polk_County_Jail |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426020317/http://www.polksheriff.org/inq/pages/inmate.aspx?BookingNumber=2014-007703 |archive-date=26 April 2014 }} Fichter was convicted and, on July 2, 2015, was sentenced to 22 years' imprisonment.{{cite web|last=Glasser |first=Eric|url=http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/07/02/polk-teacher-sentenced-for-sex-with-students/29624059/ |title=Lakeland teacher gets 22 years for sex with 3 students |website=WTSP |date=2015-07-02 |access-date=2021-12-08 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150713193349/http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/07/02/polk-teacher-sentenced-for-sex-with-students/29624059/ |archive-date=2015-07-13 |url-status=dead}} A Polk County judge called her a predator during sentencing.{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/predator-teacher-gets-22-years-for-sex-with-students/ |title='Predator' teacher Jennifer Fichter gets 22 years for sex with students |publisher=CBS News |date=2015-07-03 |access-date=2015-07-09}} The sentencing by Judge Glenn T. Shelby was immediately controversial, with the unusually long sentence being reviled by many, especially in Europe.{{cite web|last=Bounds |first=Holly |url=http://wfla.com/2015/07/09/europeans-supporting-former-polk-teacher-jailed-for-sex-with-students |title=Europeans supporting former Polk teacher jailed for sex with students |website=WFLA.com |date=2015-07-09 |access-date=2016-07-08}}{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Tori |title=Teacher sentenced to long prison term for sex with teen garners following |url=https://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20150715/News/605069865 |access-date=2021-12-08 |work=The Daytona Beach News-Journal |publisher=GateHouse Media |date=2015-07-15 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20191101110747/https://www.news-journalonline.com/article/LK/20150715/News/605069865/DN/ |archive-date=2019-11-01 |url-status=dead}}{{cbignore}}

Fichter is currently imprisoned in Gadsden Correctional Facility and is scheduled for release on January 19, 2035, when she will be age 50.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dc.state.fl.us/OffenderSearch/list.aspx?Page=List&TypeSearch=AI&DataAction=Filter&dcnumber=&LastName=Fichter&FirstName=Jennifer&SearchAliases=1&OffenseCategory=&photosonly=0&nophotos=1&matches=20|title=Inmate Population Information List|website=www.dc.state.fl.us}}