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Restaurant patrons speak up for ex-teacher who had to quit
Herald Tribune ^ | 12/8/2007 | THOMAS W. KRAUSE

Posted on 12/13/2007 8:37:17 AM PST by redrunner

TAMPA -- In just one hour Wednesday afternoon, 97 patrons of Danny Boy's Restaurant in Sun City Center signed a petition asking that Debra Lafave return to work.

Lafave quit the restaurant last month while a probation officer investigated whether she had an inappropriate and private conversation with a female co-worker who is a minor.

Ed Leary, 78, one of the organizers of the petition drive, said the group now is trying to figure out where to send the petition. He guessed it would be forwarded to the Florida Attorney General's Office.

Lafave, 27, was arrested Tuesday and charged with violating conditions of her house arrest by having private and sexual conversations with a 17-year-old, a female co-worker at Danny Boy's. Reports show that the two talked about "family problems, friends, high school, personal life, boyfriend issues and sexual issues."

The former middle school English teacher has completed two of her three years on house arrest. In 2005, she pleaded guilty to charges of lewd and lascivious battery for having sex with a 14-year-old student.

Lafave is scheduled to appear before Circuit Judge J. Rogers Padgett on Jan. 7 to answer the new charge.

On Nov. 20, the manager of Danny Boy's got a call from Lafave's probation officer. He told the manager that Lafave no longer would be working there.

On Wednesday, scores of restaurant patrons, mostly senior citizens, joined a "mission" to have Lafave return to work, Leary said.

Above the signatures were the words "Free Debra Lafave," Leary said.

"We feel it is terrible that they are raking her over the coals again," Leary said. "We all had great compassion for her. There is no sweeter, kinder person that we have ever met."

Those who signed the petition, he said, think she should be "freed, taken off of probation, left in peace and permitted to return to her waitress job at Danny Boy's, where she was happy."

Leary moved to Sun City Center from Lancaster, Pa., two years ago. He is a retired computer scientist who worked for the U.S. government.

Currently, Lafave is working at her mother's barber shop.

Although Tuesday's arrest was Lafave's first house arrest violation, probation officers have kept a close eye on the former teacher. In documents released this week, notes detail two years of Lafave's life.

Over the months, officers inspected her driving log and GPS ankle monitor.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: lafave; naughtyteacherlist; notguilty; sex; soverynotguilty; teacher
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To: massgopguy
"...Look in her eyes. There ain’t nobody home..."

Hey, that's not my concern; when does her calendar come out?

NOT GUILTY!

41 posted on 12/13/2007 10:41:48 AM PST by -=SoylentSquirrel=- (I'm really made of people!)
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To: pnz1
Reports show that the two talked about “family problems, friends, high school, personal life, boyfriend issues and sexual issues.”

What would be unusual is finding two women co-workers who don't talk about that stuff.

I say let the old folks have their waitress back.

42 posted on 12/13/2007 10:44:43 AM PST by colorado tanker
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To: swain_forkbeard

well said. I deserve a ruler across my knuckles.
Does anyone know an out of work teacher that is willing to discipline me?


43 posted on 12/13/2007 10:45:36 AM PST by Holicheese (1-21-09 Hillary starts to destroy America!)
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To: Red in Blue PA
She pleaded guilty back in 2005 to L&L, for having sex with a 14 year old.

If this had been a guy, he'd still be behind bars. Spare me the "she made a msitake" double standard.

44 posted on 12/13/2007 11:08:41 AM PST by grellis (Is this the best we've got??!)
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To: redrunner
probation officers have kept a close eye on the former teacher...

I bet they have.

45 posted on 12/13/2007 11:13:29 AM PST by OB1kNOb (Support Duncan Hunter for the 2008 GOP presidential nominee. He is THE true conservative candidate.)
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To: JamesP81; Red in Blue PA

Face it there is a group of people who love bringing the hammer down on others. They burned witches in the middle ages, the turned hoses and dogs on civil rights protesters in the 1960s, they came up with bogus childcare molestation cases in the and roughed up abortion protesters in the 1990s [and even arrested the operaton rescue people for having pictures on their truck.] They will use the power of the state on whomever is the disfavored group.

These are only some of the examples in history. I completely ignored the “war” on drugs etc.

One cause of the day is anyone in any minor way running afoul of sexual laws. At one point in history prosecutors behaved as if the understood the potential damage done by an adult male having sex with an underaged girl who might get pregnant was different than the potentail damage done by adult female having sex with an underaged boy who can not get pregnant. This male does. Probably man presecutor do. But alas there are seemingly many Mike Nifongs out there.

Ironically one of the things communism/socialism has done is turned the Dims from protectors against the witch burners to the biggest zealots at bringing the hammer down on those who are out of fashion. So Dim interest groups, homosexuals, protesters are off limits to the thugs so the thugs become Dims and go after whatever group is out of favor including conservatives in general.


46 posted on 12/13/2007 1:09:01 PM PST by JLS
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To: redrunner

NOT GUILTY!!


47 posted on 12/13/2007 3:31:36 PM PST by newbie 10-21-00
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