Middle school teacher accused of sexual relations with boy retires

Gay Davidson-Shepard, the former Mesa View Middle School teacher charged with having sexual relations with a 17-year-old boy, has retired from the Ocean View School District.

Davidson-Shepard’s retirement was effective May 28, according to district records. She was put on administrative leave after her arrest in April.

An official with the district would not say whether Davidson-Shepard’s retirement was connected with the case. Her husband, Daniel Shepard, who is also charged in the case, retired from Westminster High School in 2009.

The couple, who pleaded not guilty at their June 2 arraignment, are charged with oral copulation of a minor, sodomy of a person younger than 18 and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Shepard is also charged with possession and control of child pornography.

He faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison, Davidson-Shepard a maximum of eight years and four months. The couple’s pretrial has been scheduled for Aug. 25.

— Michael Miller