The former Lisbon Central School teacher who admitted to having an affair with a student has been given a Level 1 Sex Offender status at a hearing in St. Lawrence County Court.
33-year-old Christel C. Gravlin plead guilty in March to one count of 3rd degree Rape in a deal that will see her sentenced to no more than six months in jail followed by ten years probation. Today, Judge Richards set her Sex Offender status at Level 1, the lowest level. The judge cited “clear and convincing evidence” that she was not a risk to be a repeat offender, as she has been undergoing drug counseling and psychiatric treatment since the case came to light.
Gravlin was accused of having oral sex and intercourse with a 15 year old male student on November 25th during the course of a relationship that lasted one to two weeks. The affair came to light after an incident at a high school basketball game on November 30th, when, intoxicated, Gravlin made statements about an affair to a group of students and others who were sitting near her.
Gravlin confirmed the affair in a three-page signed statement to police, attributing the affair to depression, alcohol, prescription drugs and pressure from the boy.
Gravlin, a married mother of two is a former beauty queen, having been chosen Miss St. Lawrence County Teen-Ager in 1990 at the age of 15 and was voted St. Lawrence County Dairy Princess the following year. She graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Potsdam in 2003 with a degree in literature, writing, and secondary education.
