Federal Way teacher accused of sex with student: 'I'm guilty'
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- A Federal Way teacher accused of having sex with a teenage student admitted the crime to his wife during a recorded phone call, King County prosecutors claim.
Filing charges Thursday, prosecutors claim Eli T. Godbolt - a Todd Beamer High School teacher who was in jail - made the admission following his arrest on allegations that he had consensual sex with the 16-year-old student.
"I'm guilty," Godbolt, 33, told his wife during a recorded phone call from jail, according to the prosecution.
Godbolt, an Auburn resident, has been charged with two counts of sexual misconduct. Godbolt was not charged with child rape due to the girl's age, but is instead accused of abusing the position of power he had over the child.
According to charging documents, Federal Way police received a report in late September that Godbolt was sexually involved with a student.
Investigators learned Godbolt professed his love for the girl in May 2011 and later convinced her to meet him outside of school. Writing the court, a Federal Way detective asserted they had sex on several occasions.
The detective asserted she has collected DNA evidence that likely links Godbolt to the girl.
Godbolt is expected to appear for arraignment on Nov. 14 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. He does not appear to be jailed.
Filing charges Thursday, prosecutors claim Eli T. Godbolt - a Todd Beamer High School teacher who was in jail - made the admission following his arrest on allegations that he had consensual sex with the 16-year-old student.
"I'm guilty," Godbolt, 33, told his wife during a recorded phone call from jail, according to the prosecution.
Godbolt, an Auburn resident, has been charged with two counts of sexual misconduct. Godbolt was not charged with child rape due to the girl's age, but is instead accused of abusing the position of power he had over the child.
According to charging documents, Federal Way police received a report in late September that Godbolt was sexually involved with a student.
Investigators learned Godbolt professed his love for the girl in May 2011 and later convinced her to meet him outside of school. Writing the court, a Federal Way detective asserted they had sex on several occasions.
The detective asserted she has collected DNA evidence that likely links Godbolt to the girl.
Godbolt is expected to appear for arraignment on Nov. 14 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. He does not appear to be jailed.
Liberal democrats fantasize to this...just saying.
Aside from everything else in the story, I just can't get over that name "Godbolt" lol
#1 What the hell is a grown ass married man thinking!!!
#2 WTF is the problem with the 16 year old !!!Â
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Both are equally responsible, Both apparently have no sense !Â
WOW
@Becci Surgz Harrison I dont think the teacher and the 16 year old have the same reasposiblity in this. the teacher is "trusted" with the student he should have been a man instead od a loser and dealt with the situation. And the 16 year old needs not to be a flouzy.
 @Becci Surgz HarrisonÂ
#1: Guy saw an opportunity with a slut, he took it.Â
#2: Slut wanted attention, she got it.Â
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Both are equally responsible for their actions in my opinion. The broad consented to it and allowed it to happen whilst the teacher should have known better but was only thinking with his "lower head." Throw the teacher in jail, label the girl a hoe and call it a day.Â
When, when, when will people get a frickin clue that they are breaking the law, law, law!  You would THINK that with the maga amount of publicity surrounding these sorts of cases that these teachers would KNOW that's it's WRONG!Â
Have to like how the reporter is telling us what Eli Godbolt was NOT charged with rather than just telling us what he is actually charged with. Nice way to make the story a little more scandalous/intriguing. In fact, it appears he has not even been charged with anything at this point, yet people are wanting his head on a stick for public display and referring to him as a pedophile.Â
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After reading through the comments thus far I have to wonder what happened to rational, logical thinking? It seems like a long lost art form or something.
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Why don't we remove the morality aspect of this for a moment. Morality (the idea of what is 'moral' vs. 'amoral;), after all, varies from person to person, religion to religion, country to country, etc.. When you get down to it, this was just a consensual sexual relationship between two people who are both above the age of consent. He did not 'rape' her, nor did she rape him. Nothing here was forced or coerced by either party. They were/are sexually attracted to each other and decided to act on it. There is nothing wrong with a healthy sexual relationship between two people of consenting age; it can be quite enjoyable actually.Â
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I can pretty much guess that everyone is going to proclaim that the girl, at 16, was not capable of entering into a sexual, and possibly emotional relationship with this older man. Well, you may be right, or you may be totally wrong. In reality, only this girl knows that for sure. Everyone matures emotionally, physically, and sexually at different rates. At 16 years old, we can be pretty sure that this girl has gone through puberty and has physically matured (btw, this rules out the guy being a pedophile - pedophiles are attracted to prepubescent children (look it up)). I am not going to guess at her sexual/mental maturity; that is not my place, or anyone elses. I will say that over my years of dating I have dated women that ranged from almost half my age to almost twice my age, and I can state that age itself is not a mark of maturity of any sort. I have known younger women that were way more mature than the older ones and the other way around as well.Â
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The real question here is whether Eli Godbolt did anything illegal. He did possibly cheat on his wife (i do not know whether he and his wife have an open relationship or not so I can not be sure whether he was actually cheating or not), but that is not illegal. The girl is of consenting age, and the sexual relationship was consensual (not forced/coerced), so neither the girl or Eli Godbolt is guilty of rape. Now, he was in a position of power over the student, but if we are going to say that this alone is enough to prosecute him then we are going to have to look at every instance of this type of relationship as illegal. That includes bosses having relationships with their employees. Obviously, there are policies against this at both schools and companies, and with this mind, Eli Godbolt should loose his job if he violated those policies.
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In conclusion,... was it a bad idea for him to pursue a sexual relationship with one of his students? Yes. Should he be prosecuted and labeled a sex offender/ pedophile? No. The only thing he is guilty of is bad judgement. But really, who here has not at one time or another pursued a sexual or emotional relationship that was probably a bad idea. Such as dating a co-worker, a friends x, or similar situation.Â
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 @TiredOfTheInsanity It's all about getting those clicks on the link.
@TiredOfTheInsanity "The only thing he is guilty of is bad judgement." ??? No, he's guilty of a deplorable abuse of power and breaking the law. No matter how many ways you try to justify it, the result is the same - ILLEGAL.
 @Bren98391  @TiredOfTheInsanity Where exactly in the article above did it say he abused his power? Did he threaten to flunk her if she did not have sex with him? What 'power' did he abuse? He may have met her in his class, he may have flirted with her, professed his admiration for her, and arranged to meet her off school grounds after school hours, but none of that is abuse of power. It's no different than if he would have met her at the mall, or another social avenue. Abuse of power involves coercion - and there is no indication that is present in this case.
My only perturbation is the fact that the girl is 16. This is still very emotionally young. Sure, the Godbolt probably did like her a lot (16-year old girls can be lots of fun), but at the same time he knew that 1) he is married and 2) this is still emotionnally a child. No matter how mature a teen seems, they are still dealing with issues that older people have surmounted. However, I agree with you. He should not be labeled 'pedophile', but maybe he shouldn't be allowed to work with teenage girls, either.
@TiredOfTheInsanity I think most 16 year olds think they are pretty mature and they make decisions based on that thought. Having raised two girls i can tell you some of the decisions they made at that age weren't in their best interest. Their reason for being attracted to the opposite sex are far from the same decisions made by an older female. I think that teacher needs to take a good look at his motives. At his age he has to be in a position to realize that a 16 year old girl still has a lot of maturing to do and it's his responsibility to avoid that kind of contact with his students. This is more lust than anything else on his part.
 @Jatok  @TiredOfTheInsanity I would definitely agree that lust was the primary motivation here. Not saying that is a bad thing in itself; I have had some very enjoyable relationships that were based on lust alone. After all, sometimes sex is just sex.As for decisions made by a 16yo being different than a older person, you are absolutely correct. Everyone adjusts their opinions, behaviors, etc. throughout their entire life based on experiences; it's just part of the learning process. Of course, each individuals life experience is different and therefore their opinion on a subject may differ than someone who had an entirely different life experience. Just part of human nature. Some are good experiences, others not so much. This may have been a bad experience for one of the two individuals, but I doubt that since it was an ongoing relationship. If someone does not enjoy doing something, they rarely go do it again, and again, and again.....
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I personally started having sex when I was 16; looking back, my only regret is that I did not start sooner. I will admit that the person I was having sex with was 16 as well, and just as clueless about the inner workings of it. Lack of a proper sex ed program contributed to this greatly. Anyways, not too much later I did have relationships (mostly lust based) with older partners, which improved the sex greatly I must say. The real point here is that life experiences, including sex, are not necessarily negative things. If they both enjoyed their relationship, lust based or not, and no one was forced/coerced into it, then I don't see a problem with it. Having a healthy, enjoyable sex life whether it be based on lust or love, makes life all that much more enjoyable. If her experience was similar to mine, I'm betting she enjoyed sex much more with the older, more experienced (hopefully) guy than with guys her own age.  Â
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@TiredOfTheInsanity Yes, and if you talk to alot of these then 16 year olds when they get older they regret having made some of those decisions. Quite frankly at 33 years old a 16 year old boy would not have had that effect on me. The immaturity they exhibit screams volumes.
 @Jatok  @TiredOfTheInsanity Agreed, Jatok. It never ceases to amaze me the people who come out and defend the adult in these scenarios. I don't think it is over reacting at all to say that this man has committed a crime, and done something reprehensible. There will never be justifiable sex between adults and kids. Never.
 @TiredOfTheInsanity The law is pretty clear in stating that a teacher cannot have a sexual relationship with a minor student enrolled student of the school. It's sexual misconduct with a minor in the first degree:
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http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9A.44.093
 @WhatAPickle Took a look at the info (linked in your comment). A & C do not appear to pertain; A - since he did not abuse his position to force her to have sex with him & C - because he is not her foster parent. So, that leaves B - which does appear to pertain - and applies to anyone up to the age of 21 and another person who is a school employee and is > 60 months older. In that case, a 26yo janitor at a college who has a relationship with a 20yo student would also be guilt of this class C Felony. That is just ludicrous. That law needs to be changed/updated.
Perhaps it's ludicrous, but it's the law. According to the Federal Way Mirror, that was indeed what he was charged with.
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On one hand, I have a hard time lumping someone like this in with people who molest children or attack women by force. On the other hand, high school isn't a dating service for teachers to hook up with hot underage students and he should have known better, period. I would wager that he knew this law was on the books, and he took the chance and got caught. It's hard to feel sorry for someone who chose to commit a crime, and as a result has ruined his own life.
I wonder how long he'll be on "administration leave"..
 @Windowseat Until the end of his contract at which time he will be "Non-Renewed", he is officially found guilty and fired or he resigns.
A 16 year old? Yuck.
Could this be another reality show? Women are getting them.
heh... has everyone seen That's My Boy with Adam Sandler?
 @lc253 Just watched it last night! haha
Our kids are not safe anywhere. Sick of these perverts taking advantage of their authority. Who can predict if a teacher will cross the line? 16 is 10th grade and it does not matter how you spin it, she is a student and he is a teacher! You don't phuck your students!
time to put these teachers behind glass like our banks?or better yet make them broad cast from home,they obviously cant handle being in same room with children,
EVERY post you make is ridiculous, on every forum. You are such a troll and you never have anything meaningful to contribute.
 @maggie112 stereotype much there maggie? The actions of a few individuals do not represent "teachers" as a group, anymore than the actions of the soldier who massacred those civilians in Afghanistan represents the many courageous military personnel we have serving oversees. Tell us what you do for a living maggie... I'm sure we could find something to stereotype you over as well = )
 @TruthinAdverts tooooo many teachers touching children.
@TruthinAdverts @maggie112 --- Let's chat when it's your daughter, K.
 @Bianca  @TruthinAdverts  @maggie112 i dont get it, a teachers touches my child and s will fly
A good parent teaches her kid not to f*** a married teacher.
Ok, I have two separate, unrelated things here.
First, this guy is an idiot. You are told when you are Mirandized that 'anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law' AND in most jails you are repeatedly warned that all phone calls are recorded. So, congradulations, Stupid.
Secondly, how much do you want to bet that the judge will sentance this guy to the upper quarter of the range for this offense and a lifelong tag of 'sex offender'? I don't have a problem with that; Godbolt abused his position and deserves it. What I have a problem with is that a female teacher is usually sentanced to the mid-range for the offense and gets 'treatment'. If having sex with your students is a crime, then gender shouldn't matter and male and female offenders deserve the same punishment.
Why do they keep reporting about this. So many of these "cases" now that I am pretty sure it's happening in every school in the U.S or even the world. I sure know it was happening in my high school. The problem is we all think our "kids" are stupid and have no idea how to make decisions. A 16 year old is perfectly capable of making their own decisions which is the reason 16 is the age of consent in most countries.
@Barlion You clearly have never had a 16 yr old girl. The idea that they can make good decisions for themselves is laughable. They have a tough time cleaning up their own rooms at that age.
 @lin  @Barlion That could be said of many adults also.  Most notably, politicians.
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 @Barlion Your comments sound like the justifications of someone trying to excuse pedophilia. Personal experience?
@TruthinAdverts @Barlion Do you seriously consider sex with a 17 year old "girl" to be "pedophelia"? It may be against the law, but she's not a child.
 @Superman_1967  @TruthinAdverts  @Barlion Do you consider having sex with 17 year olds OK? You sound like you do. I happen to have a 17 year old and if a 33 year old woman tried to have a relationship with him, I would have to break her in half for that.
 @Superman_1967  @TruthinAdverts  @Barlion Age of consent in Washington is 16, so it's not "against the law". The only reason this guy is getting busted is because having sex with a student under 18 is abusing one's position of power, one of the exceptions to the state's age of consent.
 @Superman_1967  @TruthinAdverts  @Barlion by the way... the article says 16... quit trying to somehow minimize it by saying 17
 @Superman_1967  @TruthinAdverts  @Barlion Listen, I'm not a lawyer, nor do I read up on pedophelia legal statutes... so perhaps you folks are correct and it's not technically pedophelia. It's still one sick individual who has abused his authority and broken the law. I am rather wary of anyone who tries to justify a teacher having sex with a student under 18.That's some screwed up thinking.Â
Not condoning this teachers actions, however you need to get your facts straight, what he did does not make him a pedofile, as a medical diagnosis, pedophilia, or paedophilia, is defined as a psychiatric disorder in persons who are 16 years of age or older typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children. The person he was with was a sexually mature female, there is a big difference, hence the age of consent being 16 in most places globally.
 @Wyatt Earp You just dressed up the disgusting old bit about "old enough to bleed old enough to breed" in some pretty language. Sixteen may be physically capable of reproducing, but it is not mentally and emotionally mature enough to have a relationship with an adult.
 @Wyatt Earp being permissive (as in suggesting it's somehow no big deal) of a teacher having sexual relations with a 16 year old student is absolutely irresponsible.Â
 @Wyatt Earp If it had been my daughter, there'd be a different headline Wyatt
 @TruthinAdverts Just an observation. I was pointing out how people younger then 18 are perfectly capable of making their own decisions. There are plenty of couples out there that have raised families and been together for decades and began their relationship when one of them was still "underage". But thank you for acuseing me of being a pedophile. That's so grown up of you.
 @Barlion actually, you implied you personally knew of a teacher with a 16 year old student, stating it happened at your own school. Maturity is a hard won process. Very people are mature at 25 years old, much less 16. At 16 individuals are vulnerable to pressures they "may" be less vulnerable with more life experience. I think it's entirely irresponsible to advocate or be permissive of a teacher having sexual involvement with a 16 year old student. That's attempting to justify pedophilia. I have no idea if you are. I should hope not, but my "personal experience" comment was in reference to your statement about your own school and knowing it occurred there... indicating you were either a participant or had direct knowledge. I take it you failed to report the crime.Â
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 @Andrew Bush You really think there is a difference between a republican or a democrat? Or any politician for that matter? LMFAO!!!!
@Barlion @Andrew Bush Shhhhhh, you'll mess up his whole WORLD. He's so fragile that if he knew the TRUTH, he'd recycle his tinfoil helmet collection.
 @Andrew Bush Lame.
 @Mumblix Grumph  @Andrew BushÂ
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..."just lay back and enjoy it!"
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NOW is it lame?