Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

25 Kirkpatrick Street, 3^rd Floor, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 (732) 745-3300

*News Release* Date: April 27, 2010

Woodbridge teacher admits sexual contact; official misconduct

Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan announced that an eighth grade English teacher pleaded guilty today to charges of improperly touching and kissing a 14-year-old female student nearly four years ago.

James I. Clancy, (DOB 2/2/74) of 39 Crampton Avenue, Woodbridge,

waived his right to a presentation of the case to a grand jury in Middlesex County and pleaded guilty to a count each of criminal sexual contact and misconduct in office.

Clancy, who had been a teacher at the Iselin Middle School for about seven years, admitted under questioning that he kissed and touched the student when she was 14 years old for his own sexual gratification. He said the incident occurred in Edison sometime between June 1, 2006, and July 31, 2006.

Under a plea agreement reached with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christie L. Bevacqua, the defendant faces a term of up to 364 days at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick when he is sentenced on July 26, 2010, by Superior Court Judge Frederick P. DeVesa at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick.

In addition, Clancy will be placed on probation and must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law. He will not be allowed to have any unsupervised contact with females under the age of 16, and will be required to undergo any recommended counseling.

Clancy was arrested and charged on November 11, 2009, following an investigation by Detective Robert Ptaszynski of the Woodbridge Police Department and Investigator James Kelly of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigation began a few days earlier, when the matter came to the attention of law enforcement.

Clancy was suspended from his teaching post after the charges were filed.