Former Rusk teacher gets 3 year sentence
Brian Basse pleads guilty to indecency, improper relationship with child

BRIAN BASSE

Former Rusk High School social studies teacher, Brian Base, 34, pled guilty Thursday morning to charges connected with his sexual activities with a student. District Judge Dwight Phifer sentenced him to three years in Texas Department of Corrections on charges of indecency with a child and improper relationship between a student and educator.

District Attorney Elmer Beckworth said Thursday morning he did not know how long Mr. Basse will have to serve in prison. "Most persons serve 85 percent of their sentence," he said.

Mr. Basse is in the custody of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department awaiting transfer to the Department of Criminal Justice.

He was arrested and posted bond before Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Brenda Dominy on Feb. 21. He resigned from his position with Rusk ISD that day. He had been employed by Rusk ISD since 2000, coming here from Jacksonville. He and his wife had chaperoned several high school group trips to foreign countries.

Mr. Basse was indicted in late February. Both charges against him were second degree felonies.

Since his arrest he has been out on bond. He posted $10,000 bond on each charge the same day he was arrested

The charges against him centered around off-campus activities. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Department performed a forensic file recovery on the student's laptop computer.

Some explicit images were recovered, along with AOL instant messages that authorities believed were exchanged between the student and him. The Rusk Police Department obtained a search warrant for Mr. Basse's home, which included his personal computer.

Rusk ISD Superitendent Dr. Jim Largent said at the time of the arrest, "As educators, our parents and community entrust us with their most precious commodity- their children. They expect them to be safe, protected and educated. When staff members cross the line into inappropriate relationships, it destroys this trust."

Mr. Basse was represented in court by Frank Jackson of Dallas. Representing the state was Rachel Patton- Rogers.