A federal judge on Monday rejected the plea deal for Scott Riley Hall, 41, of Lubbock and ordered prosecutors to continue preparing the case for trial.
Hall was an art teacher at Coronado High School when he was accused of having a sexual relationship with a girl who was both underage and one of his students.
The original federal indictment against him for enticement of a minor could have resulted in a maximum of life in prison. The plea deal was for use of interstate facilities for information about a minor – a much lesser charge.
After he signed a plea deal but before he was sentenced, Hall was accused of violating the terms of his pre-trial release. Court records said he tried to get the attention of a young person while at a grocery store. At the time, he was strictly forbidden from having unsupervised contact with minors.
On Monday, Senior United States District Judge Sam Cummings ordered that a trial date be set for April 15.
Last year, the 16-year-old victim’s mother suspected something was wrong and confronted Hall.
Hall sent text messages to the mom.
“I truly wanted to be that Art Dad, but I let my care for her cross a line,” Hall said the mom in text messages, according to court records. “It was a huge mistake.”
Hall also texted the mom saying, “It was misguided affection. I am very sorry. I will do anything you ask to keep this from being a legal or professional situation.”
“I am not a predator,” Hall said to the mom.
In addition to federal charges, state charges are still pending.
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