A former teacher at a Kentucky juvenile detention center, Elena Bardin, 27, was sentenced last Thursday to 14 years in prison after being convicted of sexual abuse and unlawful transaction with a minor.
Bardin, who taught English at the Adair County Juvenile Detention Center, was found guilty of having explicit sexual contact with a 17-year-old inmate. The investigation began in April when a routine search of the teen’s room uncovered approximately 193 sexually explicit letters and photos she had sent him.
During the sentencing, Circuit Judge Samuel Spalding noted the “completely inappropriate” nature of the communications and that Bardin admitted to the sexual contact in one of her letters. The judge also highlighted testimony that Bardin had been warned by her supervisor to end the relationship, but failed to do so.
Bardin, a married mother, was also accused of soliciting the teen to murder her husband, but the jury acquitted her of that charge. The juvenile victim testified that the illicit relationship was just a “way to kill time” and that he never planned to follow through with the alleged murder scheme.
In addition to her sentence, Bardin will be required to register as a sex offender for the next 20 years.
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