A former teacher at Hephzibah Middle School found to have had improper and illegal contact with a student pleaded guilty Thursday, July 14.
Rumah Byrapaka, 26, has been held in jail without bond since her arrest in January 2020. Because of the length of time she has been in custody and the likely deportation she now faces, the prosecutor agreed to forego a request for further incarceration, Assistant District Attorney Kyle Davis said Thursday.
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Byrapaka pleaded guilty Thursday in Richmond County Superior Court to two counts of criminal attempt to commit the crime of enticement of a child for indecent purposes.
The mother of a 13-year-old boy discovered correspondence between her son and Byrapaka that left her shocked and sickened, she told Judge John Flythe on Thursday. There was talk of sexual contact and photographs of sexual poses. He and even his siblings have been exposed to extensive hurtful and ugly comments on social media, the mother said.
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The responses show an unfair double standard because the victim is male. But he was a child, and Byrapaka was the adult, the mother said. Byrapaka was supposed to be the responsible one.
Byrapaka, who completed her work for a master’s degree just before her arrest, was brought from India to the United States when she was 9 years old. She now faces deportation. She faces a life-altering change and may never be allowed to return to the United States, defense attorney Keith Johnson said.
Flythe accepted the plea negotiation and sentenced Byrapaka to an additional 13 years on probation. He declined to impose the sentence under the First Offender Act, so that the record of the conviction will remain public.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.Â
