Joseph Samuel Ellis, the former Glenelg High School teacher who was convicted of sexually abusing a student, wept as he turned to apologize to his former student and her family during his sentencing hearing April 25.

"It's hard knowing I hurt someone so much, and she didn't deserve it," he said as he fought back tears.

Circuit Court Judge Richard Bernhardt sentenced Ellis, 27, of Elkridge, to five years in prison after an emotional eight-hour sentencing hearing. Ellis was potentially facing 29 to 32 years in prison.

Assistant Howard County State's Attorney Lisa Broten had requested Ellis receive nine years in prison.

"We have someone in a position of power who abused that power," Broten said.

After his release from prison, Ellis will be required to serve five years of probation and complete sexual offender treatment. Ellis also is prohibited from holding a position as a teacher or coach upon his release and will be required to register as a sex offender.

Ellis was a social studies teacher and coach at Glenelg High prior to his firing by the Board of Education in April 2007.

Experts: therapy would help

On Jan. 9, a Howard County jury found Ellis guilty of sexual abuse of a minor, indecent exposure and telephone misuse.

During his three-day trial, one of Ellis' former students testified that Ellis e-mailed her nude photographs, then later exposed himself to her during an after-school visit in his classroom in December 2006.

The former student, now 18, was 17 and a senior at Glenelg at the time of the incidents.

Prior to his trial, Ellis pleaded guilty to sending the girl nude photos.

The former student's victim statement, which was read in court by Broten, described how the incident has left her unable to trust men and the effect it has had on her and her family, leading her parents to the brink of divorce.

Both Ellis and the former student wiped away tears as the statement was read.

"I never thought I'd be one of those girls with crazy psychological issues, but now I am," the student said in her statement.

The student also expressed in her statement the pervasive guilt and fear she has felt for reporting Ellis' actions.

Ellis responded to the student's feelings of guilt during the sentencing hearing, saying he was the guilty one, not her.

"You were brave, and I think you did the right thing," Ellis said to the student. "You should be proud of what you did."

During the sentencing hearing, three expert witnesses, one for the prosecution and two for the defense, testified as to whether Ellis suffers from a sexual-psychotic diagnosis, whether he could be treated adequately through therapy, and whether a serious head injury Ellis suffered in 2003 caused a loss of impulse control.

Dr. Fred Berlin, a medical expert for the defense, said damage Ellis sustained in the past to the frontal lobe of his brain can be linked to increased impulsiveness.

All three expert witnesses agreed that Ellis does not have a diagnosable sexual-psychotic disease and would probably benefit from some form of therapy.

Bernhardt said he did not find enough evidence to support the theory that a prior brain injury was solely to blame for Ellis' actions. Rather, Bernhardt characterized Ellis' actions as a "betrayal" to his family, the student and her family and "the trust bestowed on him by the Howard County Public School System."

"In many ways, it doesn't seem that you could commit an incident of indecent exposure under conditions more egregious than these," Bernhardt said before he read Ellis' sentence.

E-mail Sarah Daniels at sdaniels@patuxent.com.

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