Luzerne County Community College to offer fall courses in Scranton

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Local Scouts participate in national jamboree

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The letters were accounted for.</p><p>A county judge received about two dozen of them, each offering glowing support for Colleen McGarry, a fixture at Pittston Area High School in academics and athletics for nearly two decades. Two in particular stood out.</p><p>One came from the father of the 17-year-old student McGarry admitted to having a clandestine sexual relationship with. The other was authored by the victim herself.</p><p>It was &#8220;atypical,&#8221; said Luzerne County Judge Joseph Sklarosky Jr. at McGarry&#8217;s sentencing Tuesday.</p><p>But the law was clear, the judge said. McGarry crossed the line.</p><p>&#8220;We talk about her intelligence,&#8221; Sklarosky said, referencing a characteristic many letter writers said was one of McGarry&#8217;s best. &#8220;It caused me to wonder, how could the lights go off? Why weren&#8217;t those red lights flashing with each step? There&#8217;s no question you&#8217;re smart enough to figure it out.&#8221;</p><p>McGarry, 46, of Pittston, was sentenced to four to 24 months in prison followed by three years on probation. McGarry must register as a sex offender for 25 years, but was not deemed a sexually violent predator. She was permitted to report to prison Friday.</p><p>&#8220;I learned a very difficult lesson in all of this,&#8221; McGarry said in a brief, tearful apology.</p><p>The ex-educator previously pleaded guilty to charges of institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors and furnishing alcohol to minors for the romance with a student from her calculus class that investigators said began in 2015.</p><p>According to prosecutors, McGarry and the teen began a &#8220;romantic relationship&#8221; that started with texts and social media messages, but later turned physical in cars and the student&#8217;s home when the teen&#8217;s guardian was away.</p><p>Teenage students, Sklarosky said, are still &#8220;finding themselves&#8221; in high school and are &#8220;vulnerable in that sense.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s why the law exists,&#8221; the judge said.</p><p>Prosecutor Nancy Violi noted while the victim may feel this way now, she is still emotionally tied to McGarry and may one day feel differently about the relationship. A sentence outside the standard range would diminish the seriousness of McGarry&#8217;s crimes, she said.</p><p>Defense attorney Frank Nocito said McGarry was a &#8220;dedicated&#8221; and &#8220;inspirational&#8221; teacher, coach and adviser in her 19 years at Pittston Area. She was an adviser for the National Honor Society and Key Club in addition to her teaching and coaching duties and often helped students navigate difficult problems, both in her teaching field and in life, he said.</p><p>Noting McGarry has no prior record and has shown remorse, Nocito argued for leniency.</p><p>&#8220;She lost a reputation she tried so hard to keep active in the community,&#8221; Nocito said.</p><p>McGarry&#8217;s career began amid some disapproval. Her hiring in 1997 drew criticism from some school officials after she received a full-time teaching job the day she received her degree from Wilkes University. McGarry, then 26, was selected over several district substitutes on a 6-3 vote by the school board, according to archived reports.</p><p>A resume provided to the Times Leader at the time indicated McGarry was a tutor at South Scranton Intermediate School and the varsity basketball coach for North Pocono High School prior to her hire.</p><p>A former Seton Catholic and Wilkes University basketball standout, McGarry was named head girls basketball coach at Pittston Area in 1998. She led the team for nearly 10 years until she was replaced in 2006. She resigned as coach of the girls softball team in 2012.</p><p>Her tenure came to an end in March 2016 when she was suspended amid allegations of the relationship. She was fired in May of that year and surrendered her teaching license in November.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Colleen McGarry was sentenced Tuesday to four to 24 months in prison for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student. She must register as a sexual offender for 25 years. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL080117McGearry1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Colleen McGarry was sentenced Tuesday to four to 24 months in prison for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student. She must register as a sexual offender for 25 years. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Colleen McGarry gets up to two years</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Ex-Pittston Area teacher sentenced for sexual relationship with student