A one -time teacher of the year says court that she is “ashamed” for sexual crimes to be ashamed of sex

A former South Bay teacher, who was once appointed one of the best educators of San Diego County, was sentenced to 30 years in the state prison on Friday.

The public prosecutor says Jacqueline Ma, 36, cultivated two boys and took a sexual relationship with one of them at the age of 12.

Ma, who was appointed one of the “Teachers of the Year” in San Diego County in the Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City, was arrested in early 2023.

She had suspended a potential prison sentence of 165 years before she is guilty of sexual crime in February, including lewd acts for a child and the matter that is a minor sexual behavior.

In her conviction before the Supreme Court of Chula Vista, Ma spent a tearful apology in which she said: “I am very ashamed of my actions.”

She said she “manipulated” and “decept” the boys, although the boys' families trust their trust.

“I tore away her childhood,” said Ma. “Instead of following the way of what a teacher should be, I let my self -seekers override the best interests of the boys.”

Her defender, Patrick Griffin, said his client was guilty and agreed 30 years to live in prison “because it was the right one” and would save the victims to continue before a court proceedings.

He added that she had carried out a therapy in custody to understand what was going on here, but “does not expect forgiveness” from the victims or their families.

None of the boys took part in the hearing and their families made no explanations in court.

The deputy district prosecutor Drew Hart has forwarded the feelings of the mother of one of the boys and explains that the woman “cannot believe that she has trusted her and that she is otherwise speechless”.

Before the judge of the San Diego Superior Court, Enrique Camarena, the verdict, he found that “nursing activity was not recognized in sight and true way of the behavior of the accused because she was a respected and award -winning teacher”.

The judge also described what more than “a single judgment”, but “a longer pattern of the sexual abuse of children”.

The police were initially alerted after the mother reported one of the victims that they had found disturbing messages between their son and MA.

During a preliminary hearing, the Detective Colleen Stanich from the National City Police Department said that MA – referred to as John Doe 1 in court – deleted some of the messages or communicated with it in “Vanish mode”.

The detective said she later spoke to MA about her connection to the boy and Ma said to her: “It is complicated and I could blur the lines.”

A subsequent search for MAS MAYS revealed numerous text messages in a hidden application.

Many of these messages described sex files between MA and the boy, while other explicit photos of John Doe 1 included, Stanich said. In other messages, Ma described that he was in love with John Doe 1 and was sad that her relationship would not take and that he would finally start meeting girls his age.

MA was originally charged exclusively in connection with John Doe 1, but the public prosecutor later added additional charges for a second boy who was referred to as John Doe 2.

During the preliminary hearing, the prosecutors stated that MA had exchanged sexually charged text messages with John Doe 2 at the age of 11.

John Doe 2 informed the police that he and Ma had developed a “plan” so that he could meet her in her classroom, Stanich said. When he entered the classroom, Ma took off her shirt and “tried to get close to him”, but the boy went because he was afraid, said the detective.

Stanich said that both boys cultivated gifts, including clothing and games in connection with games.