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Santa Maria teacher gets year in jail for sex with student

April 3, 2015
Brian Hook

Brian Hook

A Santa Maria judge sentenced a former high school teacher and coach to one year in jail for having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student. [KEYT]

Brian Hook, 54, taught social science and coached varsity girls’ basketball at Santa Maria’s Pioneer Valley High School. Last month, Hook pleaded no contest to charges of sex with a minor and sexual penetration with a person under the age of 18, and to two counts of oral copulation with a person under 18.

As part of his sentence, Hook received five years of probation. He must also register as a sex offender and pay for counseling for the victim’s family.

Hook faced up to five years in state prison. Prosecutors argued that he belongs in prison.

During sentencing, a victim witness advocate read a letter on behalf of the parents.

“She was someone that he found very easy to manipulate because of her noble kindness,” the letter stated. “Manipulated and worked on her until he was able to get what he desired. A person who is 53 years old with our daughter who is only 16 is a world of difference in their ages.”

Santa Maria police arrested Hook in Feb. 2014. At the time, his wife, with whom he has five children, was working as an administrative assistant at the same high school.


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At 54, one year of his life for a lifetime of torment and relationship failure. This is absurd at best. Do we just simply no longer care?


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When ee are not allowed to make moral Judgements on “who you Love”….connect the dots.


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A Man gets caught with child porn and gets 10 yeas in jail, A man that gets caught sleeping with a minor child and gets 1 year in jail….


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A minor child (16) engages in a willing and voluntary sexual relationship with an adult and is a child victim of sexual assault. A minor child (16, 15, 14) commits a crime and can be an adult, sentenced to Life without Parole in adult prison…


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A minor child cannot legally consent to sex, thus there is no consent.


By your logic if you talk a 10 year old into a sexual act is it consensual?


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My logic is that a the same person at pretty much the same time can be a child in one set of circumstances and an adult in another, as the State of California unilaterally pleases and sees fit. I find this time warp odd. And to call a 17 year old and a 10 year old the same legal term – child – is bizarre.


And a minor (person under 18) pursuant to California Law cannot, never, consent to sexual activity of any sort, even with another minor. Prom is coming up… thousands of sex criminals and sex abuse victims in the making! A set of laws that depends on prosecutorial discretion so as to not criminalize a whole demographic is poorly written law.


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That the if I’m 18 and can vote, why can’t I drink argument. Why can someone drive at 16 and not drink until 21?


Comparing two 17 year olds going to the prom and a 54 year old man in a position of authority having an illegal sexual relationship with a student is ridiculous.


It sounds as though people here think it is ok.


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This sets a precedent for men who are in these situations. Now, the decision to go ahead and do something like this becomes easier; after all, he will serve less than that with time off for good behavior. This makes it easier to decide: with such a low price to pay, it can seem like a small price to pay at the time. Of course, this guy is not bright and clearly gave no consideration for 1) His wife who worked in the office at the school and how humiliated she might be. 2) How his 5 children would be taken care of (because he will never be a teacher again. 3) How his children will feel when they can look dad up on Megan’s List. And most importantly: the damage he has done to the victim and the pain this has caused her family.


At the base of all of this is a disease of sorts. There is an infection of sorts that includes: porn, lack of integrity and true moral fiber; coupled with self-centeredness that becomes so inflated, you are willing to destroy everything near and dear to you to have what you should be able to say no to. Character: its what you do when no one’s looking.


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2) and 3) – Sure sounds like this man’s children are the ones being punished here… how is that possible with these laws that supposedly exist to protect children?


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His family will pay the price because he knowingly chose to recklessly endanger his families future. Not the penal system’s fault,but rather his full responsibility.


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Committing this type of crime in California is not so bad

after all, thanks to our liberal justice system.


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You want more people in prison? The US has 5% of the world’s population and 25% of its prisoners. Is that too liberal for you?


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Rich in MB: What are you smoking dude?


Santa Maria is in Santa Barbara County. Dow is DA in SLO County.


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Rich is a friend of Tim Covello’s and can’t come to grips with the fact that Covello got his ass kicked by a much better person than his friend. It is obvious he is after Dow and doesn’t pay attention to the information in the articles he responds to.


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Let’s see: one year in jail for which he will serve at most six months due to overcrowding, and five years’ probation (formal? informal?) in return for destroying this family. They will never be the same. This is every parents’ nightmare, a predator at school. He will pay for counseling – yeah right! As if anyone convicted of anything ever pays restitution. Dream on!


Will the school district fire this guy? Does the teachers’ union contract prevent that?


Whatever happened to “safe schools”? I suppose the parents could sue but realistically they probably just want to put this behind them and try and rebuild their lives. No amount of money will ever fix this. Would not blame them if they moved to a different school district.


This guy is lucky the parents don’t take matters into their own hands. Or maybe they will…


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Nightmare? Predator? Destroying a family? Dramatic much?


And why would he not get the benefit of good time credits or overcrowding relief measures?


And what would the parents sue for? That their 16 year old daughter could not say ‘no’?


Take matters into their own hands? Is that a call to violence?


smh…


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The morally-insane, protected-class thugs of the teachers unions aren’t getting enough money.


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NCG: So in your morally-superior view, because one teacher in the Santa Maria district commits a felony, the law-abiding teachers of the Lucia Mar district don’t deserve their fair share? That is truly “insane” logic. BTW, there are no “thugs” in teachers’ unions. You must be confusing “teachers” with “teamsters.” It’s a common mistake for semi-literate people.


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We true Christians can only ponder in how Mr. Brain Hook should have taken his teaching profession to our beloved Bible Belt, where his actions would have been legal in the following Bible Belt states since their age of consent is sixteen.


Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Kentucky.


California is to ungodly and progressive, where the age of consent remains at eighteen.


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So then Society DOES get to judge people on who they love?

Hmmm…I thought it was hate to make a value/moral judgement these days about sex.

But at least the DA Dan Dow decided this was one sex crime worth going after for once.


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Santa Barbara County, not SLO.


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