Maryland
Ex-Maryland teacher sentenced to 30 years for having sex with student — but will only spend one year behind bars
A disgraced Maryland teacher who had sex with a teenage student nearly two-dozen times was slapped with a 30-year prison sentence – but will only serve one year behind bars for the crime.
Melissa Marie Curtis, 32, was handed the three-decade sentence with all but 12 months suspended for engaging in sexual acts with the 14-year-old while she was a teacher at Montgomery Village Middle School in 2015, Fox 5 DC reported.
Curtis — who was 22 at the time — had sexual intercourse with the minor more than 20 times between January and May 2015 — with illicit trysts occurring within the school, her car and several residences, including her mother’s home in Montgomery County, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.
The convicted perv also gave the eighth-grader alcohol and marijuana, the Montgomery County Police Department said.
Prosecutors said the pair were often left alone together after the young teen volunteered for an after-school program Curtis headed, according to court docs.
Police launched their investigation in October 2023 when the victim came forward with the abuse allegations.
Curtis, of Upper Marlboro, was a teacher for approximately two years and had also taught at Lakelands Park Middle School, cops said.
The sicko teacher turned herself in to police on Nov. 7, 2023, and was charged with sexual abuse of a minor and multiple counts of third- and fourth-degree sexual offenses.
She pleaded guilty June 20 to three counts of third-degree sex offenses in June, Fox 5 DC reported.
The sexual predator is required to register as a sex offender for 25 years and will be barred from having any unsupervised contact with minors other than her own children.
The judge also sentenced Curtis to serve five years of probation.
MONTGEOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — Rescue crews were searching early Thursday morning for a person reported missing in the Potomac River near Great Falls Park in Montgomery County, Maryland.
A spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service said a swift water team was called to the Great Falls Park/Potomac River area for a missing person in the water around 6:15 a.m. Initial reports indicated the missing person was with a group when he entered the water and did not resurface.
SEE ALSO | DC closes parts of Potomac, Anacostia waterways for Fourth of July security
Swift water teams were actively searching the area.
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Maryland’s Board of Public Works approved the state’s $48.5 million purchase of Laurel Park Race Track.
The acquisition was part of the $383 million state spending that was approved by the board on Wednesday.
State leaders say the investment in the horse track will be vital for the future of horse racing in Maryland, which also owns historic Pimlico Race Course.
The state’s acquisition of Laurel Park was delayed in May after a legislative committee requested a cost-benefit analysis and a 45-day review period. Laurel had previously been slated for demolition.
Maryland’s Stadium Authority approved the plan to buy Laurel Park and redevelop it into a “best-in-class horse training facility,” the governor’s office said in April.
“These investments reflect our commitment to building a stronger Maryland by supporting the infrastructure, institutions, and community resources that residents rely on every day,” Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman said. “By investing in projects that strengthen our economy, we are making sure Maryland remains a great place to live, work, and do business.”
Horse racing’s future in Maryland
Laurel Park Race Track hosted the 151st Preakness Stakes in May, as Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore undergoes renovations.
The state purchased Pimlico in 2024 in a transfer of ownership to renovate and turn the race course into the permanent home of Maryland’s thoroughbred racing.
Pimlico will open back up for the Preakness Stakes in 2027. The goal is to make Pimlico a year-round facility and host more than 100 racing days each year.
The redevelopment includes renovating the track surface and grandstand, adding additional stalls and a new training track, as well as redeveloping the surrounding Park Heights neighborhood.
Wrapping June’s National Gun Violence Awareness Month commemorations, community leaders, advocates and health care professionals met with Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey (D) to discuss community-based solutions to address safety concerns across Prince George’s County.
For Ivey, who served as state’s attorney for Prince George’s County from 2003-2011, gun violence solutions start with the community.
‘It’s not necessarily just funding, but it’s connecting people,” Ivey said during the June 29 conversation at Union Bar and Grill in Hyattsville. “You can be a catalyst on that front.”
The congressman listened and spoke to residents and representatives from gun violence and health organizations, including: University of Maryland Medical System CAP-VIP Program; University of Maryland Capital Region Hospital Trauma Services; University of Maryland Progress Initiative; Community Justice Action Fund; Hope in Action; Everytown for Gun Safety; Guns Down Friday; Jacob’s Ladder Youth Foundation; and Maryland Crime Victim’s Resource Center.
According to the Maryland Department of Health, firearms were connected to 17 injuries and 16 homicides in the county between January and May of this year. Between 2024 and 2025, homicides dropped by 40% from 96 fatalities to 57. Youth violence also declined, with 21 people under the age of 25 who died from firearms in 2025, a drop from 45 deaths in 2024.
Still Jawanna Hardy is working to reduce numbers even more.
“That bullet, it goes so far,” said Hardy, founder of Guns Down Friday. “It hits the entire community.”
One point of discussion was funding gaps for various programs addressing community violence, whether due to federal cuts, grant delays or inconsistent funds for state and local initiatives.
Many attendees present advocated for gun violence solutions starting with county programming,, primarily by establishing an office dedicated to gun violence prevention.
“It’s sustainable because it’s built into the state and county budget,” said Joseph Richardson, co-director of the University of Maryland’s gun violence research initiative PROGRESS.
For Donica Thompson, an Injury Prevention and Outreach coordinator for Trauma Services at UM Capital Region Health, the county needs more support for basic necessities like mental health, education, housing and employment.
“I feel the community needs to take more action,” Thompson said. “Create opportunities for the youth, create more jobs for the youth.”
The conversation ended with Ivey affirming the need to begin building towards a local office to address gun violence prevention through conversations with Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
“I think it makes a lot of sense, because [then] we have a stakeholder,” Ivey said.
As a staunch advocate for addressing gun violence, Hardy was overall optimistic about the conversation and hopes it’ll prove to be effective for the county in the future.
“I just pray that there is a solution to the problems, not just us talking about it,” she told The Informer. “But I’m feeling very hopeful.”
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