COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — A former Collier County teacher convicted of having sex with an underage student will serve 40 years in prison.
Joseph Mejia, 39, was a technology teacher at Gulf Coast Charter Academy.
Mejia was found guilty of four counts ofLewd and Lascivious Battery on a Minor.
The judge sentenced him to 20 years on each count. Two of the charges will run consecutive and the other two concurrently.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office investigated Mejia after the victim’s mother discovered sexually explicit text between her daughter and Mejia.
During the trial, thousands of texts with a 14-year-old were revealed. Many of them of a sexual nature, according to court documents.
The alleged relationship began in March 2019 when the victim was home sick from school. He allegedly visited the victim and had sex with her.
The victim detailed numerous other sexual encounters, according to the arrest report.
