Tennessee teacher who ran away with student sentenced to 20 years for sex with minor

A teacher in Tennessee who captured national media attention after going on the run with a 15-year-old student, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The victim of 52-year-old Tad Cummins said in a statement, that her former teacher was “disgusting” and that his targeting of her had “devastating and permanent” impacts.

While the victim was in court for the sentencing, she did not step forward when it was time for her to speak. Assistant US attorney Sara Beth Meyers read a statement from her.

“What you did to me was unspeakable,” Ms Meyers said. "You saw “a broken girl who was lonely, scared and traumatised”.

The victim’s letter continued to say that Cummins had only wanted sex, and used her need for protection against her. She was convinced that the 52-year-old would have discarded her eventually if he had not been captured in April 2017 after a nationwide manhunt to find her.

“All you were was a man who just wanted sex, and you used me and manipulated me," the statement said. “Tad Cummins is a sick, disgusting criminal.”

Cummins pleaded guilty last April on charges of crossing state lines to have sex with a minor and obstruction of justice.

When given the chance to address the court before his sentencing, Cummins broke down in tears and apologised for the harm that he cause to his victim, and his own family. Two of his daughters were in the courtroom at the time.

He said he did not know why he had acted in the way he had, and that it was a “misguided attempt to help that went sideways in a way I don’t know I’ll ever understand”.

“If someone had done this to one of my girls I would want to hurt them, and I fully understand if you feel that way about me,” he added.

Cummins was arrested in April of 2017, more than a month after he and his victim had disappeared.

Prior to his disappearance, Cummins had been suspended from his teaching job in February of 2017. He was suspended after a student saw him kissing the 15-year-old victim.

He disappeared a month later in March, when he left a note for his wife saying that the was leaving to “think” and asking her not to call the police.

He was fired the day after an Amber alert was sent out to try and find the 15-year-old victim.