AUSTIN, November 23, 2004 - Texas Attorney General Abbott today announced that a former Round Rock Independent School District special education teacher has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for attempting to meet a child for sex. Todd K. Cline, 41, recently convicted as an attempted child predator, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel on Monday in a case handled by Attorney General Abbott’s Cyber Crimes prosecutors.

Todd Cline	Cory Mayhem

“We have seen child predators with profiles across the spectrum of professions, but none as alarming as this man, who was already working with children in a school setting,”said Attorney General Abbott. “This should be a wake-up call to school administrators and parents.”

In Hays County, Cyber Crimes prosecutors also obtained a guilty plea from 28-year-old Cory Mayham of San Antonio, who similarly attempted to meet a child for sex in last June. Cline, of Hutto, pleaded guilty in September after being charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a child. He was arrested in June after driving to Hays County to meet an individual he believed to be an underage girl for sex. The “girl,” in fact, was an undercover Cyber Crimes Unit investigator who had been chatting with Cline via instant messaging over the Internet.

Cline, who has since been terminated from Round Rock ISD, was assigned to a special education program at the school at the time of his arrest, teaching females in grades 6-12. His conviction has been forwarded to the State Board for Educator Certification. As part of his guilty plea, Mayham, a pizza restaurant employee, agreed to a 10-year probated sentence, conditioned on six months in jail, paying a $1,500 fine and performing 260 hours of community service.

He must also register as a convicted sex offender for 20 years. Assistant Attorneys General Grant Sparks and Angela Goodwin prosecuted Cline and Mayham, respectively.

Give us your Feedback about this story!