A former SanLee Middle School teacher who was accused in 2022 of sexually abusing at least two students pleaded guilty on Monday and was sentenced to 18 years in prison, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Andrew Braxton Allen, 34, had been held on $2 million bond since his initial arrest in November 2022. He was hit with a second round of charges in March 2023.

Allen’s guilty plea was to two counts each of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult, sexual act with a student, and indecent liberties with a child.

Law enforcement documents in the case file indicate that Allen purchased gifts and engaged in electronic communications with his victims, and engaged in sexual activity with them at the school. Lee County Schools learned of the allegations on the same day as the Sheriff’s Office, and Allen was immediately suspended with pay pending an investigation. When that work was completed two days later, he was then suspended without pay. He resigned his position as a teacher shortly thereafter.

The school district later hired an outside attorney to conduct its own investigation and “review the school system’s policies, training, and safety plans to seek improvements that would help prevent something like that from ever happening again.”

The investigation found no evidence that any teacher or staff at San Lee had knowledge that Allen, who had been hired as a sixth-grade teacher of math and social studies in 2012, was allegedly abusing students. It also found no complaints or reports from students or parents regarding any abuse before the report received in November 2022 that led to his arrest.