Teacher admits error in judgment as she's sentenced to jail for filming sex with teen student she was tutoring: 'Not my best thinking'

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:46, 1 May 2026 | Updated: 02:01, 1 May 2026 A teacher in Michigan admitted to an error in judgement as she was sentenced to jail for having sex with a student she was tutoring at his house and filming it.  Jocelyn Sanroman, 27, told the court that she had a lapse in judgement as she pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct and received a sentence of four to 15 years behind bars.  In 2025, Sanroman, then 26, worked as a teacher in Oakland County and told a coworker that she had sex with a 16-year-old male student she had been tutoring in 2023.  At the time, Sanroman had been a teacher at Oakside Scholars Charter School in Waterford Township when her colleague notified police and charter school officials about Sanroman's confession, Fox 2 reported.  Sanroman pleaded guilty in March to third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and was sentenced on Tuesday.  'She made a tremendous error of judgement here,' her defense attorney said, the outlet reported.  'A lot of it has to do with her own mental health issues. She's going to have to undertake that on her own. She understands that, and she's working forward and trying to do her best to become a better person.' Judge Cheryl Matthews turned to Sanroman as she received her sentencing and asked: 'What do you have to say? What were you thinking?'  Jocelyn Sanroman, 27, told the court that she had a lapse in judgement as she pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct and received a sentence of four to 15 years behind bars Sanroman pleaded guilty in March to third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and was sentenced on Tuesday where she told the judge it was 'not my best thinking' Judge Cheryl Matthews, seen above, condemned Sanroman's response and told her it was 'serious risk-taking behavior' that was 'disgusting'  'Not my best thinking,' Sanroman replied.  'This is serious risk-taking behavior, taking advantage of a minor and videotaping,' Matthews continued.  'You're having sex with a minor at his home, right? And it's disgusting.'  The victim's mother said in an impact statement, read by the prosecutor, that her son's life was completely changed by Sanroman's actions.  'I watched my son's name be publicly judged and criticized for circumstances involving a minor and an adult,' she said.  'I have watched my son change. He has become withdrawn and voids people because of the fear and attention the situation has created.' The letter further said that she had pulled her son out of school and placed him into online school.  'His normal life, his education, his routine and his sense of security was taken. This has left me with constant fear and anxiety, not just for him, but for other children as well,' the victim's mother's letter concluded.  In 2025, Sanroman, then 26, worked as a teacher in Oakland County and told a coworker that she had sex with a 16-year-old male student she had been tutoring in 2023 Due to her guilty plea, Sanroman will be placed on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry for life As Sanroman faced her charges last year, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald accused the former teacher of abusing her position of authority over the victim.  'These allegations represent the ultimate breach of trust placed in educators and parents and the community,' she said, CBS News reported.  'As a former teacher myself, I applaud the teacher who contacted police about this situation, protecting other students from further exploitation.' Due to her guilty plea, Sanroman will be placed on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry for life. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.