COLUMBUS — A veteran judge who has witnessed the worst in humanity over the years told a former Cridersville Elementary School teacher who sexually assaulted a child that she ranked up there with the worst he’s ever seen.
“You are a despicable person,” Judge Dale Crawford said Thursday to Lori Anderson before he sentenced her to 15 years in prison on three counts of sexual battery, each a third-degree felony.
Anderson asked Crawford for a second chance and leniency but that was the last thing he would do.
“You could have taken the case to trial. You made a wise choice because the state gave you a very very good plea bargain,” Crawford said.
Had Anderson faced the more serious charges that included multiple counts of rape and been convicted, she could have been sentenced to the rest of her life in prison, Crawford said.
“I’m not going to give you any more plea bargain. You already got it,” Crawford said.
Anderson, 51, committed the crimes with her ex-husband, Charles Wycuff, 54. He was sentenced to life in prison after a jury trial on 26 counts of rape, 12 counts of sexual battery and five counts of gross sexual imposition.
Anderson and Wycuff are no longer married and married other people after their divorce.
She was suspended from her job without pay as a first grade teacher at Cridersville Elementary School after the crimes surfaced. She will not be able to teach again due to her criminal record.
The case was moved to Franklin County after Auglaize County Common Pleas Judge Frederick Pepple was contacted by the victim for help, which started the matter in the criminal justice system.
The crimes took place in the 1990s.
The judge also classified Anderson a sexual predator and she must register for the rest of her life as a sex offender upon her release from prison.
Anderson apologized to her victim, who was not in court, and said she would never commit a similar crime.
Special Prosecutor Angie Canepa of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office read a letter from the victim which talked about the emotional struggles he’s had to deal with even years after the abuse.
The victim’s letter said he is in therapy, on medication and unable to work. He asked the judge for the strongest sentence, which was given.
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