A former Appleton teacher received jail and probation for an inappropriate relationship with a female student
APPLETON - A former teacher and coach for the Appleton Area School District who was convicted of multiple charges for having an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old girl was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation.
Brian Dimmer, 47, pleaded no contest in October to two felony charges: causing a child to view sexual activity and soliciting an intimate representation from a minor, according to court records. Two other charges were dismissed.
In addition to probation, Outagamie County Judge Mark McGinnis ordered Dimmer to serve six months in jail, though he will be allowed out for work and treatment. If Dimmer violates any of terms of his probation — including a requirement that he register as a sex offender — he could spend an additional 18 months in jail.
Dimmer spoke in court before he was sentenced and used the opportunity to apologize to his victim, while adding that he made no excuses for his actions.
"I took advantage of you and I am deeply ashamed," he said.
Dimmer's wife, Nicole Dimmer, also spoke before Dimmer was sentenced, urging McGinnis to consider a sentence that allowed him to continue to get treatment and contribute to the community.
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Outagamie County Assistant District Attorney Julie DuQuaine described Dimmer's actions as "disturbing," then recommended he be sentenced to between three and five years in prison.
"I think it is fair to say this is a very serious offense involving a very vulnerable victim," she said.
Dimmer's attorney, Amy Menzel, said the loss of his job and ability to coach has been a "devastating consequence." She also described his efforts to seek out treatment.
"Brian is doing everything that he can possibly do within his power to work past this," she said.
McGinnis said he didn't want to minimize the impact Dimmer's actions had on the victim but explained he was impressed Dimmer had already sought treatment and didn't think a prison sentence was appropriate in his case.
Instead, McGinnis said he hoped his sentence would allow Dimmer to continue to get help, while closely supervising him to protect the community and keep him from offending again.
Police investigated Dimmer after another teacher passed along an email from a female student who said Dimmer had "inappropriate contact" with her on social media, according to a criminal complaint.
Dimmer, who was arrested and charged in November 2020, was a teacher at Wilson Middle School and was a tennis coach at Appleton West but resigned his position before the investigation ended.
Dimmer exchanged messages with the girl for weeks and, over time, his messages became more sexually explicit, which made the girl "confused and uncomfortable," the complaint says.
"She did not tell him to stop because she liked talking and joking around with him," the complaint says. "She felt if she told (Dimmer) to stop, that he would not want to talk to her anymore."
The girl reported that Dimmer asked her to send nude photos of herself to him and, when the two began to video chat, Dimmer exposed himself to her, the complaint says.
Contact Chris Mueller at 920-996-7267 or cmueller@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AtChrisMueller.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Brian Dimmer, former Appleton teacher, gets jail, probation
