Former teacher gets probation
Apr. 20—A former teacher at Odessa Collegiate Academy will spend the next 10 years on probation after pleading guilty Wednesday to having an improper relationship with a 17-year-old student and possessing nude pictures of her.
Ector County District Court records detail William Hikes Boone, 52, was indicted in September 2020 on two counts of sexual assault and two counts of improper relationship between an educator and a student.
The indictment details Boone had sexual contact with the girl during the first three months of 2020. Court records show he was also charged last month with possessing, in January 2020, photos of the same girl engaged in sexual conduct.
On Tuesday, Boone pleaded guilty to the child pornography charge and the two improper relationship charges in the 70th District Court of Ector County.
Judge Denn Whalen sentenced Boone to 10 years' probation on each of the three counts on the recommendation of Assistant Ector County District Attorney Kortney Williams, who said the victim had been notified of the plea agreement and had no objections. The judge also ordered Boone to register as a sex offender.
Should Boone violate his probation, he could face up to 10 years in prison on each count.
According to Ector County Independent School District police documents, Boone was arrested after two former OCA students told the school's principal they had suspicions and the 17-year-old later acknowledged sex acts had taken place at the school months prior to her graduating.
Odessa Police Department's crime scene unit found forensic evidence in Boone's classroom as well, the ECISD document stated.
