NEWTON — A Hopatcong teacher who retired earlier this year after he was accused of having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl has admitted to kissing and touching the student, New Jersey Herald reported.
Eric Strand, 57, of Flanders, a teacher at Hopatcong Middle School appears before Superior Court Judge William J. McGovern III in Newton in July. (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Eric Strand, 58, of Mount Olive, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree criminal sexual contact for kissing the girl on several occasions between June 8 and June 29, 2016, and touching the girl’s buttocks over her clothing on one occasion, the newspaper reported.
As reported by NJ Advance Media, Strand, a social studies teacher at Hopatcong Middle School, retired shortly after his arrest in July.
At the time of his retirement, he was earning $81,435 annually.
Strand was accused of developing an “inappropriate relationship” over the past school year with the middle school student.
Strand is expected to sentenced on April 5, according to New Jersey Herald. The state has reportedly recommended five-year concurrent sentences on each charge.
Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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