California Teen Leaves School, Moves in With Former Teacher

I understand that the mother is mad that her 18 year old is dating someone 40 but if they texted eachother over 8000 texts, why is she finding out now. Where was the mother during all these texts??? I have a 18 year old son and he was a minor I checked his phone.

HMMMM…SOUNDS PRETTY FISHY TO ME!

I love your show. WHEN NANCY GRACE SPEAKS, I CHANGE THE CHANNEL! I don’t mind what she has to say as much as how she says it. Calm down! Your voice is like a fingernail on a chalk board. You interrupt to much. This dually that you always do is not fun for me, maybe not for anyone.

First let me say, Nancy Grace needs to go. She is rude, crude, and cuts Dan off at the knees. Now to the topic at hand…. This child has no idea what she is in for. My husband is 14 years older than me and although when we were younger age didn’t matter but 30 years later makes a HUGE difference. He is 71 and I am 57 and I am watching him age and slow down while I am still active and raring to go. I love my husband and would not trade the life we’ve shared together but I advise anyone marrying someone much older than them to take this into consideration.

My grandmother was 18 and my grandfather 38 when they got married. They were married for 55 years when my grandpa passed. If thie was going on for that long the mother should have known. I too check my kids text and calls because they are under 18. Now that she is of age dont think there is anything to do. I to would be upset if it was my daughter but at some point ya gotta let go. As the one person said she wasnt raped and at 17 a girl in this day and age knows right from wrong. Mama just needs to be there when the pieces fall to catch her daughter because i think they will fall…And i forgot get rid of nancy grace I really dont like her she is a know it all and you cant tell me different person.

She’s looking for a father figure and he likes them young. But the young lady is 18 and can do what she wants. Mom should have paid closer attention. Oh well.

to the people that think this is ok just let it go the children know better obviously do not have a moral bone in their body it is not ok whether he is a teacher or not he took advantage of a student if he never was interested the girl would of moved on. He pursued her. And if he has kids would it be ok for his kids????? What are we teaching our kids now days. IT IS WRONG!!!!! I hope they can find something to put him behind bars. And for nancy grace thank you for having a loud voice for these victims and really the moms of the victims there are no questions to be asked he is and always will be a child predator and hopefully he’s not teaching anymore. Looks like he knew what he was doing when he said “they won’t find anything” He’s already covered his tracks.

only question i have is if the girl was getting texts that many time were was the mothers concerns then and why wait til now to start something with this teacher , it could be a good relationship now no matter how it started the mother should be there for her daughter now that she is a young adultand makeing her choose to stay were she is .

I am a college student and have been watching GMA regularly for a while now. I have always found this morning show the most informative, as well as entertaining. This being said, I would like to ask you to PLEASE consider removing Nancy Grace from the show. I respect the passion she has for her work, but MY GOD. After today’s segment, I could not believe how far she thinks she can go, interrupting and being so rude in any kind of “debate.” Every time I see her on GMA she is absolutely rude, and continually cutting everyone off to get her word in. Let someone else speak, Nancy. Also, it is sad to think this girl thinks she has found true love. He left his wife and kids for you…sounds like an honest and trustworthy man. It is obvious things were happening before she was 18…OBVIOUS. Most importantly, she is risking her relationship with her family, that won’t be regained until the affair with this creep is over…and family is way more important. Hopefully she will realize this.

I knew a girl in high school who ended up marrying her teacher. They are still married, 29 years later. It doesn’t ALWAYS end up being a bad thing.
That being said, this girl dropped out of high school for an unemployed guy? Stupid move on both their parts.

We had a cheerleader marry the football coach/gym teacher a few months after we graduated. They’re still married. If mom continues to be mad and try to go after this guy she might lose any relationship with her daughter. Sometimes you have to cut your loses.

This will make for an interesting wedding if it gets to that point.

I tend to change the channel when Nancy Grace is on also. Even when her points are valid she’s so irritating and rude I don’t want to listen.
As for Dan’s question would it matter as much if the teacher/student genders were reversed. Yes!! A teacher by definition is in a position of power, authority, and mentor ship in relation to any student. Any teacher, even at the level of higher education, has a professional and moral obligation to do everything possible to avoid a romantic relationship with a student, even if the student is pursuing it.
A few years ago in a neighboring school district a 1st or 2nd year teacher who was in her early to mid 20s became involved with an 18 year old male student. She was fired from the district and lost her teacher’s license. I believe she was also arrested and had criminal charges pressed against her but I don’t recall how that turned out.

He and she may be mature enough to join in a life-long union, if so, good luck and best wishes Too bad his former spouse and he felt they needed to split; how does his children feel about it?.

She is 18 now. If there is no evidence proving that she and her teacher led a sexual relationship before she turned 18 then it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks there is nothing that can be done. For everyone downing the mom, children but especialy teenagers can be sneaky. Her mom is probably looking for proof now because of the situation if they wouldn’t have gone public she would still be thinking her baby is a baby. While I am not a fan of how their relationship started with him currently married but this might be both of their happily ever after.

Every guy that reads this is thinking the same thing – LUCKY GUY! Seriously, age really is not a barrier to love. If these two truly fell in love it’s love. My high school band teacher fell in love and married a student when she turned 18 and they are still together (after 30 years). Love is love (within the boundaries of age of consent of course).

Abdsolutely, the mother is correct to be angry. The teacher clearly started this relationship while the girl was still a child. And, regardless of age, no parent wants to think they are sending their child to school, when the teachers are preying on them instead of teaching them. Our high school history teacher and football coach left his wife and married one of our cheerleaders after she graduated. Of course that started in high school. I can tell you that as his student that particular guy was always on the prowl for some young stuff. Sexual abuse was tolerated more 20 years ago. Mom should continue to fight for her daughter and what is right.

I agree with many of the sentiments expressed here regarding Nancy Grace. I have been a loyal Good Morning America viewer for about 15 years, and you have lost me due to Nancy Grace. She is a disgrace and a stain on your show. Please stop giving her a forum.

Nancy grace is so rude and disrespectful; Gma you are losing a lot of viewers because of her!

Dumb, even if everything is on the up and up. If it is, then this guy is on the road to extreme pain. His former wife and children will never totally forgive him, and his relationship with this girl is doomed before it even began. The age gap is too great. Could they actually be in love? Probably not. He is suffering from an extreme case of midlife crisis, and she is simply infatuated. Even if that infatuation turns into love, what happens in ten years when she is 28 and he is 51? What happens when she realizes she is missing out on her youth and fun and he has no interest in reliving that sort of social life? What happens when she gives him a teenage attitude? What happens when she gets tired him? She leaves. And she still has a whole lifetime ahead of her. Him? He’s done. Take it from someone who’s been there, buddy. I was 41 when I dated a 24 year old. I did the same thing. It has taken six years to get back on decent terms with my daughter, and when it ends, and it will, you are going to realize what was really important and you are going to regret what you did for the rest of your life. Send her back to her mom, go back to your family, beg for forgiveness, plead temporary insanity, offer to go to couseling, and spend time and money to make things right. Don’t throw your life away for someone who is going to leave you in a year or two.

I assume most middle age men have been tempted by an older teen or young adult woman. It happens and it’s a big ego boost for an older guy, especially if she’s the one who instigates it. If it happens before she’s of age, it’s illegal. If he’s married, it’s dumb.
I can imagine how that guy’s daughter feels about it. Did he even think about her?

I’m sure it happens to all of us but most of us aren’t dumb enough to let it go further than a smile.

I have to agree with the posts about Nancy Grace. While I have agreed with her in the past and will probably continue to agree with some of her views, she is like a pit bull, frothing at the mouth! Dan Abrams is one patient dude. I like Dan much better than I like Nancy because Nancy just can’t seem to “hold it together” when it comes to her feelings. She may be right about some things but she is way too intense for me. It’s called self control, Nancy. Get a grip. We know you’re angry … so are we; but let’s not go off the deep end.

Is there anything GMA can do about getting rid of that obnoxious Nancy Grace. I never get a chance to learn anything when she is on the air because she talks over everyone and is only interested in her own voice. I have started to change the channel whenever I see her and one of these days I probably won’t change the channel back

Love is a weird animal. It strikes when least expected, between people who least expect it.

When love strikes and two people join as one it is the most blessed thing in the universe. The purpose of existence.

When a man makes a commitment to someone that they love, a man sticks by his word if his profession of love was true.

He does not abandon what he claimed to love for what he claims to love.

He does not destroy the lives of those he claims to love nor cause them pain through his actions.

To abandon a person that you loved enough to marry shows a weakness of character.

But we are all Human and we all make mistakes and we are all far from perfect, we do things that are irrational. But that does not make it morally correct. Nor does it forgive us.

I can only imagine the confusion of the children involved and the harm it has done to them.

But who am I to judge?

I graduated Highschool in 1976 and moved to a bigger city with a teacher who started an affair with me in my senior year. We thought no one knew, but there were many things I found out later were done by the school and my parents that I was not made aware of. I wish they would have stepped in and done something at the time, but they didn’t because I was 17 going on 18 at the time things started. I can’t believe this girls parents didn’t know anything. Our affair lasted about 2 years as I grew up and got wiser and today realize what a terrible thing this teacher did. I only hope this young girl wakes up soon to see the light.

She is 18. He is not a pedophile.

My first reaction was disgust. Now, I’m not sure what to think about this. We have this puritanical idea in our society that age difference or “positions of authority” automatically exclude the possibility of true love between two people. He’s not a teacher any more, and should probably never be allowed to be one again. She’s really too young to be making this type of life altering decision, choosing to be with a man who displays such a lack of moral character that he would leave his wife and children to be with her. A more mature, experienced woman would recognize that as a serious character flaw that could come back to haunt her. Conversely, he’s probably feeling pretty good that an 18 year old has the hots for him, but when the shine rubs off, and she comes to realize she’s missing out on a lot by tying herself to one man this early in life, he may have trouble keeping her interested. I hope the spurned wife takes him for all he’s worth. She is really the victim here – along with their unfortunate children who now have THIS scar to deal with for the rest of their lives. The girl’s mother is understandably frustrated and it sounds like she’s doing all she can to prove this was an inappropriate and criminal relationship. It may very well have been: time will tell. I encourage her to continue to pursue it. Her daughter is too precious to just throw in the towel simply because she’s now of legal age.

What a cute couple, I wish them many babies and years of happiness, congrats James and Jordan!!

Wow… Hooker with powers.. that’s a new one :)

I feel bad for the guy’s wife and kids … this must be very tough for them, but in the end, the wife is probably lucky to be rid of this creep. Of course, what he did was wrong, but I don’t for a minute buy that this teenage girl was any sort of victim – there are many girls out there who start seeking out father figures in their teen years or start looking for the first opportunity to get out of the house. It’s a similar mentality to running away. I don’t believe the teacher would have destroyed his career and left his family without a great deal of encouragement from her. Seems to me that both the teacher and the student have some psychological problems.

She’s 18–a legal adult. Both the people are ‘legal’, get over it people.

Meanwhile there are hundreds, probably thousands of adult female teachers having sex with 14-15 year old boys and everyone just gives it the thumbs up. What a joke.

Live and let live. She’s 18 and she can choose who she wants to. I give them 2 years, 3 at the most. She’ll get bored with the old fart and find a boy her own age who will sweep her off her feet. Trust me. As for Nancy Grace, well, get rid of her. She’s too unprofessional with her comments.

Please don’t have Nancy Grace back on GMA, I will stop watching GMA because of her..

If I hear Nancy Grace’s voice I change the channel.

When she says nothing was going on before she turned 18, her facial features alter slightly, and she diverts her eyes. These are classic “tells” to someone who is lying. They had a relationship before she was 18. They have concocted a story together. This is both sick and demented. It is not that their is a legal issue, but it is a Teacher-Student code that has been broken. Just like a Doctor, Psychologist, or President Clinton, not having a relationship with someone below them. It is a false environment of power.

I believe that is unacceptable; it is like a newer version of the Mary Kay Laternou; except it’s the other way around. I believe that the teacher should be put in jail; whether it’s a sexual relationship or not.

I was always taught not to get involved with a man that was married or attached. They’re off limits and hands off. Maybe the mother didn’t teach her daughter this lesson. He seems to be entering his second childhood.

Lucky guy. She’s good looking.

Jordan, you are an 18 year old girl with your whole life ahead of you. Do you really want to throw everything away for a 41 year old unemployed teacher with a soon-to-be ex-wife and kids (one of them who is only a year younger than you)??? Girl, screw your head on straight, dump this clown, graduate high school, go to college, and make something of yourself. You are making a HUGE mistake!

My uncle was 48 when left my aunt for a 16-year old waitress that was working in his restaurant. Now he’s 88 and she’s 56 and they’re still together and have a son. Sometimes it works, folks!

AGE OF CONSENT. Plain and simple. If she is above the age, they CAN get married. That’s the law nationwide. They can also get DIVORCED. LOL.

This is just creepy. The fact that he would leave his family for a child makes me wonder if there have been other students over the years. He’s a disgrace to the teaching profession.

First let me say, PLEASE DO NOT HAVE NANCY ON YOUR SHOW. I love GMA but I choose not to watch the NANCY GRACE show, in fact I still can not figure out how she even got a show.
Now, as to the mother of this child, let the police work on if there is a case against this man or not. You need to work on your relationship with your daughter. It is NEVER to late to get your child back. But right now she feels your the bad guy in all of this, causing her problems. She is going to need you at one point or another and the harder you make it for her to come to you for help the worse things will get with her. Trust me on this I know, at the age of 14 I moved in with a 24 year man that was my bible teacher and had a 2 year old daughter. Just try to keep the lines of communications open between you, that is the most important thing you can do right now. Help the police, but let her see them or his wife as the bad guy, and you as her mother who loves her, is concern for her and will be there when she needs you.

If someone is willing to leave their kids and spouse for you, how do you know they won’t turn around and do the same thing to you when someone better comes along again? I wouldn’t have a problem with it if he wasn’t already married with kids, but he really is being inappropriate by dating someone his daughter’s age.

Will, you wrote :

Will – Think back to when you moved in with this person. How would you have reacted then if your parents and the school intervened? Would you have stopped the affair or did you have to experience it to realize it was not right for you? It seems that it took 2 years for you to realize that. You must have felt strongly in the beginning? Just curious as to whether you think strong parental and school i nvolvment would stop an affair or just drive the couple more towards each other?

It’s not the age difference that’s a ‘problem’, it’s the age and status of the girl, when this ‘couple’ got to the ‘really do like each other’ stage. “I think the stigma of the teacher-student relationship just makes it messy, makes it really hard for people to get through to the point that we really do like each other, he [James Hooker] said. “We really do want to have a future together.” I have some news for the two of them. Their future is bleak, at best. He’s unemployed, and currently facing child support, and possible spousal support. Jordan quit HS before graduation – and the likelihood of her getting a GED is much slimmer than she thinks, so her employment opportunities are going to be dramatically limited, as well. I wonder how they’re currently paying the rent, on their apartment?! I think, all things considered, it’s the former wife who’s lucky, in this situation. She should be delighted to be free of this astonishingly inconsiderate clod, even if he didn’t have any ‘sexual’ contact with Jordan before her 18th BD. I’d be willing to bet that ‘did not have sex with that woman’ is the mantra Hooker’s been using – and I’d be willing to bet there has certainly been what any ‘normal’ person would consider sexual contact between James and Jordan prior to her 18th BD. If Jordan had graduated HS, reached her 18th, and then, a relationship began, they’d both be clear of the legal ramifications. Marriages do ‘break up’ – with or without the influence of a third party. People of disparate ages do find themselves honestly and respectfully attracted to each other. Such unions can certainly be very long lasting. But when the ‘entire’ picture here is taken into consideration, this ‘teacher’ has ruined several lives – and it’s unlikely there will be a long term relationship, between James and Jordan. BTW, fully agree with the ‘dump Nancy Grace’ sentiment, here – GMA will be losing viewers in droves – or, perhaps not … the ‘dumbing down’ of America is epidemic, so perhaps the dimwits that actually tuned into Grace’s cable show will be tuning to GMA. It’s about as likely as a long, successful and happy marriage, between Hooker and Powers.

Well done James, well done sir. She is a hottie.

Sickness

The mother seems to be the principal villain here. She obviously doesn’t care about her daughter as evidenced by her publicizing this incident. I don’t like the idea of a teacher dating a student, but they are both adults and its nobody elses business.

GMA has become tabloid TV with the addition of Nancy Grace. If she continues to be a part of the GMA team, I’ll be watching NBC or CBS for my morning viewing.

Age difference no big deal, I have a friend who fell in love with her high school teacher he was 25 years older than she. Now she is 50 and he is 75. Love happens to bad he could not keep the commintment to his real wife. that is the sad part when children are involved. Real men do stay away from women that age. best to leave the young developing minds continue to develop and be role models for them, don’t use them as play toys. I feel bad for her parents because it sounds like he did not ask their permission before hand. My friend who married her high school teaher was like 24 – 26 when they got serious and her husband did ask her parents for her hand in marriage.

He’s 41 and she’s 18? That s wrong on SO many levels….

Chet, I lived through this, trust me. It’s not good for the girl. She is too young and too immature to know better. Get real, Chet, and please be good to your daughters….girls and boys need their dads, otherwise, they can become vulnerable and a victim.

I wonder if Mr Hooker likes dating his daughter. You might as well say she’s his daughter because thats what people will see her as. Did the man not think of his family in all of this?? His “real” daughter must be devastated. I don’t blame the girl, because THE MAN in this situation should’ve BEEN A MAN AND TOOK CARE OF HIS FAMILY!! Not try to start a new one with his new daughter.

i don’t care so much about the fact that she was his teacher or whatever (even though they are probably lying about not having a relationship before she was 18), i’m mostly shocked and a little annoyed at the fact that this man left his own family for this girl. if i were his daughter, i would probably never speak to him again. and his wife and other kids…it’s ashame. i feel bad for them.

There was a weird guy teacher like this in my high school many years ago. He was married with kids but groomed a freshman girl. She was someone without a dad. She was very isolated from her peers as a result, which I suppose made it easier for him to be even more important in her life.
Of course he dropped her a few years out of high school.

This man is dispicable. She was a child who is being led down the garden path. Her mother is right.
I feel terrible for her and her daughter. She is watching her daughter make a big mistake. Any man who will leave a marriage wife and kids will not turn out to be the man of her dreams. He is a 41 year old OLD man with some real issues.

Well, guess what…she will grow up and he will grow older…Good luck to both of you! I married my HS English teacher, and guess what, we were sleeping together while I was still in HS….the result?? Two kids, a marriage that ended and more harm than good. It’s news but it will be old news soon enough and I am sorry that both of them and their FAMILIES have to be hurt by a mislead fantasy that won’t last….
PS I don’t give a flip about Nancy Grace because I don’t watch GMA…just go online….

What´s new? This is a Western setting and almost all of the kids are like that-over liberated. Sitting on the lap of everyone else (Miley Cyrus and the director, etc), friends with benefits (shown in the movies), one night stands, hard partying, drugs, shooting schoolmates, parents letting their teens go on a trip with friends in some parts of the world and other weird stuffs.

I’m 37- around this guys same ange and let me say-EWE gross. First of all I am not attracted to that guy and i surely don’t see how an 18 year old girl is! EWE

Love is not a number and cannot be defined by something such as age or weight. It can never be measured to a degree nor calculated to an exact amount. From my perspective, they appear to be completely comfortable in their relationship and very happy with each other. What’s curious to me is that I didn’t catch anything about the girl’s father. Is or was there one? I wonder if her mother might not be going on a bit of a jealousy rage here(?). Personally, I would move out of my mother’s house and have very little contact with her too if she were acting like a nutter… I think they make a really cute couple. :)

Such hate and judgement. This isn’t anything new. This has been going on for thousands of years. Young women are great and are quite often mature beyond their years. We have one life and don’t know when it’s over. He cares for her and protects her. She is not some doll to put in a glass case. We just don’t know how to deal with women’s sexuality. Well, nature has spoken – and so has love. Much blessings to the lucky couple. Rest of you, get over the hate.

I’m reliving a nightmare. My own father “groomed” his child bride…. I will call her “Tracy.” She was the youngest sister of my STEPMOTHER! This child was a year YOUNGER than me. She was my playmate! She would spend the night at our home, and from the time she was 11, he groomed her. It is worse than a bad movie….to see the paranoia that “hooks” the victim…. At my tender age I didn’t “get it”….
Tracy is now 45, a year younger than me. My father is deceased. He left behind shattered lives…. lives he helped shape by his vile, disgusting illness… pedophilia.

My own daughter became a victim of a sick man too. She was 13 when he was incarcerated for “statutory rape.”
The reason for this email? There are so many derrogatory comments regarding “the parents” of victims… “Where were the parents when this man was doing XYZ.?” Well.. of all people, I thought I would KNOW if my children were in danger. I never went to bed without checking every door, every window and every child. I kissed them goodnight, said prayers for them and trusted my “gut.”
I monitored computers, phones, and only allowed friends to sleep at OUR home…. so I would always KNOW where MY children were, and also so I could get to know their friends. I was the Mom who baked the cupcakes and drove to Brownies…. I was IN THE LOOP as much as any “good” parent should be. BUT. I. DID. NOT. KNOW. Not until my daughter told me…..

What will we do as a society to stop predators? These men (and women) are master manipulators… users… groomers… sick, demented, unnaturally motivated creatures. Our children are so vulnerable…. I’m in tears.

The same goes for Jay Leno. His liberal agenda is SOOO turning me into a non-fan. I’ve watched The Tonight Show for years, but will not continue since he likes to push his left/liberal agenda. I don’t watch anymore! I may not have a lot of control, but I can choose to control what I do and that is to “not watch!”

Regarding the Hooker/Powers story. This is so pathetic. I knew a girl who did the same thing with her Math teacher from High School. She is now a single mother of three in her mid twenties and he left her for another teenager.
Why can’t they see the red flags? You would think they would be big enough to be seen from space!
I don’t blame the mother at all for any defensive actions she has taken to try and protect her child. Because she is still at 18, just a child and I would bet my left arm she will be a single mom before she is 24.

I keep reading these borderline cases we ALL know are UNACCEPTABLE but virtually impossible to prove. As sad as this is in ten years this poor girl will probably have married this man and had children and look back and realize she married a sexual predetor. He clearly clocked her from ninth grade when he first taught her and is a disguster person who does not deserve to teach.

With that said, NIGHTLINE, YOU are missing the real story!!! We have teachers who molested their students BEFORE the registry and lost their jobs for this behavior but ARE STILL TEACHING TODAY!!! In our are we have a teacher who was FIRED for having sexual contact with his 16 yo student and there was speculation it took place BEFORE she was 16 in the year 1985 at the Northville High School. He went on to marry this student to aviod prosecution by her mother. Once she had her baby and one other child and any scare of prosecution had passed he divorced and remarried. He then divorced that woman and remarried again. His new wife has NO idea what she is married to and the reason why?? Because this man is now and has been teaching at the Ballston Spa High School for four years. He was even the high school girls soccer coach. He has become highly involved in the business center of Saratoga and is protected by his money and the parents HAVE NOT A CLUE! If anyone brings this up in our family, because this man’s sister married into my family, he makes threats! I am POSITIVE he is not alone! If he is allowed to teach becuase he was before the registry, THERE MUST BE OTHERS! THIS IS THE REAL STORY! THIS NEEDS TO BE HEARD BY PEOPLE! What is YOUR child’s teachers history? If we dont get these men and women OUT of our schools, this abuse will continue until they finally catch up with the registry!! How many children must be sacrificed BEFORE WE GO AFTER THE OFFENDING TEACHERS FROM BEFORE THE REGISTRY? THEY ARE IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS!!!!

“It is great and wonderful that men can get younger women. If you femenist can’t handle it that is your problem. It is about time that men can CHOOSE who they want. You femenist women needs to take a good look at yourself. The way you treat men, No wonder, men are chasing younger women. Heck, men have been traveling to Russia, Thailand to meet younger women. I don’t hear any complaints there, But, when here in the USA a 18 year old get hooked up, it make the front page news. Such hyproicy! This Mrs Powers, your name calling, make you a loser. You yourself have failed relations with your ex husband, and you won’t allow your Jordan Powers to watch R rated movies, you locked her in jail for 18 years, it is now no wonder she got together with the teacher. You did it to yourself.”
Face it folks, the usa is a feminized society. Any relationship that goes sour, automatically the women are comforted ,and the men are demonzied. And yet, in all the media here 14 year old girls are dressed to look like 21 year old women. Heck, even your Elvis Presley married the 14 year old Pricilla Priselly. Do you think he waited until she was 18 to have sexual relations with her?
I hope James hooker and Jordan Powers have a wonderful life. They deserve it. It is no one’s business what they do. You american public needs to look at yourself in the mirror first. Hypricites!

Prior to her 18th birthday, she was just a student in his class along with other female students. No big deal. Then, all of a sudden, she had her 18th birthday and they became madly in love, so much so that he left his wife and children and the two got an apartment together. Yeah, I believe it!

Could the public reaction to this relationship be evidence of a paternalistic attitude toward women? We’ve always been quick to view 18 year old men as men, e.g., when drafting them into the Vietnam war or giving them far harsher prison sentences than we give to 18 year old “girls”.

Mom should count her daughters blessings before she causes irreversible damage to her daughters future family. Ms Powers could be dating someone her own age, which from a statistical perspective would merit real concern: a fifty percent chance of venereal disease, slim chance of his being educated or having any means of supporting a family, etc..

Ms Powers made a good catch considering her level of education and income, and while she no doubt used her sexual wiles in taking advantage of Mr Hookers’ weaknesses nobody is going to come to his rescue when he discovers that the exchange of benefits in their relationship is almost entirely one-sided.

I say more power to him (no pun intended). It’s fun watching all these holier-than-thou, bible thumpin’, moralistic, and slightly crazed prudes loosing their minds over this.

Fact is, even IF he was grooming her it’s nothing more than what this “mom” (and most of you BTW) allow the vast myriad of wall street corporations in America to do to the kids every day. Keep watching american idol, the kardashians, and whatever other trash that keeps you entertained so you don’t have to be a responsible parent: Just don’t be suprised when your lack of parenting skills finds YOU in this situation…and the later case where you’re threatening to track people’s ip addys on disscusion boards.

What a lovely couple an I wish them all the luck in the world and many years of happiness together. The negative comments I see are comming from nothing bunch of old ladies that are only jealous with a lot of snow on the roof and little heat in the oven.

Oh yes, I forgot to add. We have 19 years in age difference.

Please get rid of Nancy Grace on your show.

A very similar thing happened at my highschool. The teacher quit his job and married his student. They were married about 3-4 months and then got divorced, it didn’t last long and the age gap was much less extreme. He was probably in his late 20′s, so I don’t think this will last long.

Wait a minute, I thought “Anything goes” in California? Why bother with any kind of standards..? Traditional morality was attacked and thrown out long ago….if you attack and throw out a set of principals and mores, and then re-create “morality” based on current trends and pop culture, then when people violate the sort of “Old School Morality” why do they care? I mean they attacked and threw out plenty of morality, so why act like anything is right or wrong? I thought you could make it up as you go along..get over it maaaaan. I mean like isn’t everything “Cool?”

I remember a Latin teacher from high school back in the 80s, was notorious for hooking up w/ his female students. Never got busted cause he always waited til they were ‘Ripe’ (ie. legal).
Others of his peers at the same school were not so lucky because they were not so deviously smart.

When a man goes down that road, he better know what he wants and where he’s going, because there will be tears. Somebody will be hurt. If he really loved the girl, he would be more protective, not parade her in public. Eventually, the age difference will take its toll. Do it with dignity and turn her loose now.

i would understand if the man was single and didin’t have a wife and two children not to mention his daughter went to the same highschool. But when you leave your wife and kids that makes you look like a dog, you obviously just want something fresh to play with, so how would she know if they are going to live a happy long life together? once she turns 40 and he could get something young again he’ll definetly leave her. that’s just me. if you did it once , you could do it again! i’m not against it , but now when you do something like that and leave your wife and kids that makes you a dog! discusting and a jerk.

I would just like to say that no i wasn’t that young, but i am in a relationship where the guy is 20 yrs older than me, and if nothing illegal took place prior to her turning 18, than i see nothing wrong with it. My boyfriend is my best friend. I am a firm believer in love knows no age, once you are of age to make that decision. Criticizing will only push the people further away. It will either continue or falter on it’s own, but everyone else has to let it happen that way. the more you push for it to fail, is only going to push the people you care about farther away.

It happens. I did it. I started dating a teacher in my high school when I was 16 and them lived with him for 3 years after I graduated. I am now 46 years old and would not change it for anything. I don’t know why this is big news….it happens everyday!

Here’s the thing: No one has proof anything was going before she turned 18. She’s been 18 for at least 5 months. They only just went public last week. 8,000 texts is NOTHING in 5 months. My phone will hold 1,000 texts in each conversation, and with my husband and my best friend, I run through that many texts in less than 2 weeks. It wouldn’t take anything to get 8,000 texts in 2 months, much less 5.

Yes, the man WAS her teacher. But he’s not any longer. They are both consenting adults. Do I agree with the relationship? Do I think its appropriate? Do I think the man is commendable for leaving his family to start a new one with the girl he fell in love with? Oh hell no. But that’s their business, not mine. And not her mothers. She’s 18. Whether or not her mother agrees with it or likes it, her mother has no control over her choices anymore.

As far as them having moved in together already after only 5 months being “too soon”… my husband and I were engaged only 6 months after we started dating. And yes, I’m older than he. When we met, I was 19 and he was 16. Did we date then? No, it wasn’t in either of our minds at the time. But he was only 19 when we DID start dating.. and of course at the time it raised eyebrows.. even though he’d been an adult for over a year at the time.

Basically, if there WERE something illegal here, it would’ve already been found. These people don’t seem like they are brilliant enough to NOT leave a trace. If it hasn’t been found, it probably doesn’t exist. Should he still be allowed to teach? Not in anything lower than college. But he resigned on his own, so obviously he already knew that wouldn’t be acceptable. Continually criticizing them or speculating is just ridiculous and doesn’t get anyone anywhere. I’d say let them alone and if the relationship isn’t going to last, it will implode on its own.

Nancy Grace is indeed alittle outspoken and rude at times. BUT, she has pursued many issues that became solved because of her insistance, etc. At least we have someone who speaks out for women and children. I am becoming more fond of Jane Valez-Mitchell because of her more low-keyed voice, but still give Nancy Grace credit for “opening the door” for people like Jane who go to bat for women and children.

First, shame on him for putting his ex wife and daughter through this. I will bet 1 million dollars that this relationship will not last. (sarcasm).
Second, how did her mother not know about this till after the daughter turned 18 (if it was going on prior to that). Please I creep on my daughter all the time (prior to her turning 18) now not so much, she is an adult and is responsible for her own decisions.
I wish them luck but it’s still just seem pretty icky to me, just saying.

I have a 17 year old daughter, and both her mother and I work and are very busy, as she is the oldest of 4. Having said that, there is no way this could happen to her.

While we are not overbearing with out kids, we know where they are, who they are with, and what they are doing all the time. If you are consistent with this their whole lives, they don’t resent it. My daughter has freedom, within limits, and understands the reason for the freedom AND for the limits. She goes off to college next year, top 5 in her class, and I know that she knows right from wrong and what her priorities are.

Oh, did I mention that we are a non-religious, agnostic family? You don’t have to be religious to raise your kids right. In fact, it works better, because they learn that we do right because it’s the right thing to do , not because some big beard in the sky will hit you with a lightning bolt if you do wrong.

If I was oh, 20 years old, I’d be all over that. But I’m 46, and well, she’s a child to me now.

She still has chipmunk cheeks for goodness sakes.

You don’t believe him? Unless you’re on the jury, who cares?

There are a lot of teenagers now who are more sexually experienced than many of their teachers. I no longer believe that relationships with teens are necessarily abusive. I draw the line with teachers and students of any age, including adults, but he claims he didn’t engage and, despite mom’s fury, there is no evidence that he did.

If the teacher was a 41-year-old female and the former student was an 18-year-old male “child”, nobody would care and it would not even be a story.

Right on Sara – but Mary, please, have you forgotten Mary Kay LeTourneau? Look it up. This guy is just a typical male, panting for some “young” attention. Any man or woman who takes up with their student has some screws loose. Sad, tho, no thought at all for his children, who will hate him forever. I know, cause my scumbag dad did the same thing. She is just a stupid and hasn’t realized it yet-HELLO HONEY, you’ll be changing his diapers before you know it, That’s your future- He has it made! — ha ha. People keep makin the same mistakes over and over! JORDAN, yoiu better hope he never works around “teenagers” again or you’re history! ha ha!!!

This is whats known as “Being led down the garden path”.
;-/ Poor stupid little girl

The end resolution of this matter will be determined by the content of those 8000 text messages. If the cops get their hands on them by subpoena then the guy is probably sunk. If they are un-recoverable because of their age then he probably skates because there is no proof of anything illegal, just creepy and improper…

I envy my grandfather…when Nancy Graceless comes on he takes his hearing aids out

People fall in love. Most relationships don’t thrive. That’s life.

If it was my daughter, I’d be concerned too, but the fact is, she is 18.\What is the right thing to do? I’d say watch and wait; to be available to be supportive but otherwise to back off. This former teacher is obviously taking the relationship seriously; who knows what is going on here but the people involved. Time will tell.

Generic solutions to personal issues generally benefit no one.

Yes this is disgusting…but our country has bigger problems than an 180year-old dating a 43-year-old…just my opinion…

I am sorry but as a young teacher (26) this is absolutely not appropriate! I am a female high school teacher and I coach boys sports. You cannot abuse the trust that parents and students give you as an educator. This story and other like it make teachers look bad. Find someone who you are not trusted to supervise and educate.

This is funny,
All the “moral” experts, who FAIL to “cehcfk their won,” households. AS IF, they live better lives. “Judge not?” Mostly chirstians I presume. Funny.
We may not agree with this, but she IS 18. Acccording to the law an adult. There is a 22 year difference. When he is 62 and she is 40, will this be a big deal? When she is 60 and he is 82, who would care. These age difffernces happen all the time when we get older.

What about those Mormons in the US who have those those young wives? Who is complaining or doing anything about them? No one. Grooming little girls. marrying them before they reach the age of consent.
What about many of your ancestors. Check your history. People back then had HUGE age diffferences. Men were MUCH older, often. Then they had kids and here YOU are! generations later.
Give us a break.