has been sentenced to five months in jail, according to authorities.
Phelps began serving her sentence Aug. 25, the date she entered a no-contest plea to two counts of committing a lewd or lascivious act with a child aged 14 or 15 in Santa Clara County Superior Court, according to her attorney Steven Clark.
"She was extremely cooperative with the police investigation. She understood she has certain responsibilities to the court and she wanted to turn herself in early to get started on her sentence," Clark said.
The acts were alleged to have occurred with a teenage boy between April 10 and June 1 of this year, according to Santa Clara County District Attorney spokeswoman Amy Cornell.
However, on Oct. 11, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Rene Navarro sentenced her to five months at the Santa Clara County Jail.
Phelps, who was a teacher at a San Jose Stratford School for about five years, was accused of committing the sex crimes with a teenage boy on campus. She was fired immediately after she was charged with the crimes.
The maximum sentence for both crimes is four years and four months, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Timothy Moore, who prosecuted the case. Phelps will also have to register as a sex offender.
Moore explained a no-contest plea is the same as a guilty plea. He also said no additional victims have come forward.
"The offer came from the judge," Moore said. "When a defendant decides to plea to all the charges ... if they admit to everything we've alleged, the judge can give a sentence that they think it's appropriate ... That's what this defendant did."
For his part, Clark said, "She [Phelps] wanted everyone involved in this case to have closure and to not have to testify in court," Clark added.
Phelps was arrested without incident at 6 p.m. June 1 by the San Jose Police Department Child Exploitation Detail, after officers received a report that morning that Phelps had molested the student.
Stratford Schools founder Sherry Adams said in a statement that the school put Phelps on indefinite leave as soon as it learned of the situation and then fired her.
Clark said Phelps is married and has no children.
