Md. elementary school teacher gets 48 years in prison for sex abuse of students

A long-time elementary school teacher for Montgomery County, Maryland, was found guilty of sexually abusing several of his young female students.  John Vigna, 50, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was sentenced to 48 years in prison after being convicted on four counts of sex abuse of a minor and five counts of third-degree sex offense.  The sentence came down on August 4 in a Rockville court room.

Vigna taught at Cloverly Elementary School in Silver Spring for more than 20 years before being placed on administrative leave following his June 2016 arrest when five of his current and former elementary school students – one now in her twenties – told authorities that “they had been touched inappropriately while sitting in his lap during the school day,” according to Fox 5 News in Washington, DC.  Throughout his trial, Vigna maintained his innocence claiming that he never had any intentional inappropriate contact with his students.  The former teacher wiped away tears as many in attendance spoke on his behalf at his trial.  Fox quoted Vigna’s sister as saying:

“He is not a groomer nor a predator. He has been wrongfully convicted. We will continue to fight until he is vindicated and justice is served. I am sorely disappointed in the judicial system on this day. This wrong must be righted. We will remain Vigna strong.”

But one of the young victim’s mothers referred to Vigna as a “soul murderer,” and was quoted by Fox as saying, “my daughter has been given a life sentence. It will always be in her mind.”  Parents of the victims also characterized Vigna as “evil” and being a “monster.”

At his jury trial in June, Vigna was found guilty of “four counts of sex abuse of a minor and five counts of third-degree sex offense in an investigation that began when an 11-year-old, who had taken a ‘body safety’ class that taught students to identify signs related to good, bad and confusing touches, reported Vigna had been inappropriately touching her for 18 months,” according to The Washington Post.

According to police files, Vigna was said to have forced one of those student to sit on his lap.  When she tried to escape his grasp, he would continue to hold her close.  Sometimes he squeezed her buttocks when she attempted to get off his lap.  Papers also stated that he “improperly rubbed a female student when hugging her,” according to the Post.

Written by:  Ace News Today Staff