Two southern Arizona teachers, Matthew Bentley and Marie Ellen Donaldson, lost their teaching certificates this week as a result of alleged criminal behavior.
The Arizona State Board of Education accepted the voluntary surrender of the teaching certificate of Matthew Bentley, former Patagonia teacher who resigned following allegations of misconduct with a middle school student, was arrested Monday for an array of alleged sex offenses.
On June 15, 2015, Bentley was arrested and charged with 29 counts of Felony Luring a Minor for Sexual Exploitation, 18 counts of Felony Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and 4 counts of Felony Obscene Material-Furnish to Minors. He is currently awaiting trial in the Santa Cruz Detention Facility in Nogales, AZ.
He holds a Provisional Structured English Immersion Certificate and a Provisional Elementary Education, 1-8 Certificate, both of which expire March 31, 2017. He also holds a Substitute certificate which expires February 4, 2020.
On November 30, 2015, Matthew Bentley chose to voluntarily surrender his teaching certificates.
On May 15, 2014, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department conducted an investigation into allegations that Donaldson had inappropriate sexual relations with a male student.
On January 15, 2015, Donaldson was indicted by a Cochise County Grand Jury for ten counts of engaging in oral sex with a minor under the age of 18-years-old.
On June 17, 2015, in Cochise County Superior Court, Donaldson pled guilty to Attempting to Engage in Oral Sexual Contact with a Minor under 18-years old and Engaging in Oral Sexual Contact with a person under the age of 18-years old.
On November 23, 2015, in Cochise County Superior Court, Donaldson was sentenced to one year in the Arizona Department of Corrections, followed by a lifetime sex offender probation.