Teacher takes plea deal in sex case

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A former Warner Christian Academy teacher charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor took a plea of no contest Friday morning in a Daytona Beach courtroom. 

Cynthia Horvath, 45, was charged back in Oct. 2008 after Port Orange Police investigated allegations that she was sexually involved with one of her 17-year-old students.

As part of her plea, Horvath has to register as a sex offender. She will also have to do one year of sex offender community controlled probation and seven years sex offender probation. She must also follow other stipulations like giving up her teaching license, stay away from the victim and cannot come in contact with any other minor except for her own children. The judge says if she violates any of the more than 70 stipulations in her plea, she will spend 36 months behind bars.

Horvath told the court she accepts full responsibility for her actions and understands she hurt people who trusted her. She also said she was ashamed and asked for forgiveness.

After the judge accepted Horvath's plea, she was submitted to fingerprinting and gave a sample of DNA to be entered into the state database.

Investigators with Port Orange Police say Horvath was having a sexual relationship with one of her 17-year-old students from June 2008 until September 2008.

Police said many of their encounters happened in Horvath's family 1999 Chevy Suburban in the parking lots of local shopping centers.

Horvath resigned from her teaching duties after Warner Christian Academy headmaster confronted her about the allegations.

Her attorney Aaron Delgado also asked the court if police could return Horvath's Chevy Suburban which was seized as evidence.