Former Cotulla High School teacher, Lance St. Germain, age 37, was sentenced to 10 years in prison following a conviction for engaging in an improper relationship with a student.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Russell Wilson in La Salle County District Court on July 2, 2025, following St. Germain’s guilty plea on April 14, 2025, for violating the law of Improper Relationship between Educator/Student, a second-degree felony under Texas law.
The investigation began in March of 2022 after students reported concerns about inappropriate conduct between St. Germain and a 17-year-old student. A joint investigation by the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office and the Cotulla ISD revealed that St. Germain engaged in an unlawful and inappropriate relationship with the student over a period of a few weeks, including sending and receiving explicit photos and sexual contact with the student within his school classroom.
St. Germain was immediately remanded into custody following his sentencing hearing. Thank you to La Salle County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Esmerelda Gonzalez for her thorough investigation, and First Assistant Leslie Carranza for ensuring justice for our student and her family.
When teachers cross the line with students, they violate the trust placed in them by students, colleagues, parents, and the entire school community. Such conduct demands full accountability.
