School aide pleads no contest to teen sex felony

A South San Francisco middle school teacher’s aide pleaded no contest to felony charges Monday for having an ongoing sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student last year, prosecutors said.

Maria Baca, 23, pleaded no contest to felony unlawful intercourse with a minor and witness dissuasion for trying to keep the student from coming forward with their relationship, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

She agreed to a sentence of a year in county jail, but already has 396 days credit for time served, followed by three years’ probation, prosecutors said.

Baca worked as a teacher’s aide at Parkway Middle School in South San Francisco and started a sexual relationship with a student there last spring.

The relationship continued over the summer but ended as the new school year began. On Sept. 12, police were called to the boy’s home when he got into a fight with Baca as she tried to talk him out of telling anyone about their relationship, prosecutors said.

By the time police arrived, Baca had left, but police started an investigation. Baca was arrested just after 3 p.m. the next day when police found her with three 15-year-old boys just before they smoked marijuana together, prosecutors said.

Baca had been in jail on $400,000 bail while waiting for her criminal case to conclude. While on probation, she can’t have contact with the victim and must seek counseling, prosecutors said.

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