Minneola teacher pleads to felony

MINNEOLA — Former Minneola USD 219 teacher Elizabeth Wilczek pleaded no contest to a felony charge Thursday of furnishing alcohol to a minor for illicit purposes.

According to Ford County Attorney Kevin Salzman, Wilczek had been originally charged with unlawful sexual relations with an 18-year-old student.

The amended plea is a severity level 9 nonperson felony.

“This plea was the result of discussions between the Ford County Attorney’s Office, the Ford County Sheriff’s Office, the Clark County Attorney’s Office, and the involved student and his family,” said Ford County Attorney Kevin B. Salzman. “With this plea, Wilczek will have a felony on her record and will most likely lose her teaching license.

“Given Wilczek’s absence of any criminal history and the facts of this particular situation, it would have been highly unlikely that Wilczek would have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment even if she were to be convicted of the offense with which she was originally charged.

“This resolution saves the community the expense of a trial while still ensuring that Wilczek is no longer able to teach in the State of Kansas and has a felony on her record.”

Following the completion of a pre-sentence investigation report, a sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

According to Salzman, furnishing alcohol to a minor for illicit purposes can be punished by between five and 17 months of incarceration in the custody of Kansas Department of Corrections and/or a fine of up to $100,000.

It is anticipated that Wilczek will have a presumption of probation at the time of sentencing because of her lack of criminal history.