The former Ellsworth High School band teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a student was sentenced to prison in Pierce County Circuit Court last week.
Judge Tom Clark sentenced …
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The former Ellsworth High School band teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a student was sentenced to prison in Pierce County Circuit Court last week.
Judge Tom Clark sentenced Brandon A. Fuhrman, 25, Yuma, Ariz., (formerly of River Falls) to two years in prison and one year of extended supervision at the July 18 sentencing hearing. He was also fined $518, ordered to register as a sex offender for 15 years, to pay $150 in restitution and to undergo a sexual deviance evaluation.
According to a witness at the courthouse, three EHS alumni were in attendance at the sentencing hearing, along with an EHS school counselor.
Fuhrman pleaded guilty to and was convicted of felony sexual assault of child by person who works or volunteers with children at a plea hearing Jan. 11. One count of felony sexual assault of child was read in but dismissed and two misdemeanor sexual intercourse with child 16 or older charges were dismissed.
Prior to Clark handing down Fuhrman’s sentence, Fuhrman’s attorney Aaron Nelson argued the pre-sentence investigation (PSI) interview was inaccurate and misleading. During a PSI, a Department of Corrections agent investigates a defendant’s background and compiles a report for the judge to use in sentencing.
During the survivor’s statement, read by a Turningpoint representative, she said she had considered suicide after her relationship with Fuhrman. She said she trusted him because she didn’t know better and that he groomed her during a vulnerable time in her life.
Nelson asked for probation, saying that Fuhrman made a “young person’s mistake” that was life-changing for two people. He also said the media played a negative role in the case and that putting a “low-risk” offender into a group of high-risk people in prison wasn’t in the best interest of the public. Clark rejected the request and felt a prison sentence was appropriate. He said Fuhrman was in a position of trust and even though he had no criminal history, he did take part in a three-month relationship with a student at school and at his home, which requires punishment.
Fuhrman was placed on administrative leave in February 2023 after a sexual relationship with a student was exposed.
According to the complaint, on Feb. 20, 2023 an EHS student’s guardian reported to police the first-year band teacher (Fuhrman) had been having a sexual relationship with that student. The guardian said the student had admitted she and the teacher had been involved in a sexual relationship. There had apparently been suspicions about the student’s relationship with the teacher because they seemed to be too close personally for a professional teacher/student relationship.
The student told police their relationship developed over the school year and “became intense.” Sexual intercourse took place at the high school in the band room, practice room and Fuhrman’s office five to seven times. They also had sex at Fuhrman’s River Falls residence and in St. Croix County around the holiday break.
Fuhrman was arrested Feb. 20, 2023 at Ellsworth High School. A substitute band teacher finished out the rest of the school year.