In 2007, Colorado teenager Tommy Clay, then 17, had to tell a TV audience how he wound up hooking up with his social studies teacher, then-30-year-old Carrie McCandless.There were lots of rumors—they smoked weed and had sex. They were seen making out on a school trip. Then the news got out and it got messy. Clay told the media then:
“At first, it was all ‘high fives.’ A lot of guys showed me a lot more respect. But as we got further into it, I mean, I lost a lot of friends.”
McCandless was charged; then she was charged with violating the conditions of her bond for allegedly getting in touch with Clay, which she denied. In April 2007, she pleaded guilty for having an inappropriate relationship. She served 45 days behind bars. A year later, she was back in the slammer for parole violation — she had sex with another parolee — and served 30 more days.
