PHOENIX — A former Arizona teacher was sentenced to 50 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor, authorities said Wednesday.
Randy Young, 44, a former teacher in Cottonwood who also coached girls sports, was found in January 2012 with a student at night in a remote location, prosecutors said. He was terminated from his job.
School staff found child sexual abuse images while searching his laptop for lesson plans and turned the device over to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, prosecutors said.
A jury trial was set for Young but he failed to appear and fled to Ireland, prosecutors said. After he fled, a local bike shop discovered Young stole two bicycles valued at over $20,000 and had embezzled over $20,000 from the business.
Young was eventually arrested and returned to Yavapai County. He was tried and convicted on six counts in the sexual exploitation case in June of this year and sentenced in July.
On Aug. 28, Young pled guilty to the fraudulent schemes and artifices and theft charges stemming from the crimes at the bike shop, as well as failing to appear at the initial sexual exploitation trial.
“I hope the jury’s verdict sends a clear message that Yavapai County is no place for those who abuse children or who seek out images of child pornography,” Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane said in a press release.
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