Former Teacher Gets 6 Months In Jail for Assaulting Student

MENDOTA HEIGHTS (AP) -- A former Mendota Heights high school teacher has been sentenced to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a student.

Thirty-two-year-old Christine Lee Funk faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for three counts of criminal sexual contact with the 17-year-old boy. Instead, Funk pleaded guilty to one count and the two others were dismissed.

A Dakota County District Court judge on Monday also ordered Funk to serve 10 years of probation. The former music teacher at Henry Sibley High School was accused of having sex on three occasions with the student. Police learned of the relationship after being alerted to inappropriate text messages on the boy's phone that included semi-nude photos of Funk.