A former Ohio teacher got a four-year prison term yesterday after failing to convince a judge a bipolar disorder being treated with Zoloft, plus alcohol, justified an insanity defense for having sex with five students. Stacy Schuler, 33, an ex-physical education teacher in Warren County, was found guilty in a nonjury trial, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Schuler will be eligible for judicial release, also known as “shock probation,” in six months. She must register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. Prosecutor Teresa Hiett argued that voluntary alcohol consumption is to blame for Schuler's conduct and that it doesn't meet the state's legal definition of insanity. Judge Robert Peeler acknowledged that Schuler might have suffered from mental issues and that the combination of Zoloft and alcohol would have some affect on a person's brain activity. However, he said that voluntary intoxication cannot be taken into consideration in determining an insanity plea and that Schuler's defense “lacked credibility.”