Former Modesto resident Jamie Reidy comments on the California high school teacher who has left his family to move in with an 18-year old former student.
Cecilia Vega’s ABC News report triggers a lot of questions, notably “Where can I buy bolt cutters in Modesto?”
“I know my family is probably disappointed in me,” James Hooker, 41, said. “They’re probably confused in what we’re doing.”
Probably? Yeah, that’s a safe bet, To Catch A Predator.
The former teacher at Modesto’s James Enochs High School maintains that he did nothing illegal, and that people questioning the couple’s relationship, including Jordan Powers’ mother, who wants Hooker arrested, are ignoring the details of their relationship’s timeline. “They don’t care about the rest of the story. They don’t care about the rest of the detail,” Hooker said. “Once I … resigned and ended my assignment … that’s when we took it to the next level.”
Ewwww. To put it in high school terms, does “the next level” mean they’d been hanging out on third base just waiting for her to turn 18?
Staying on the high school theme, is Jordan gonna ask Mr. Hooker to the prom? If so, I doubt he’ll go with the wrist corsage.
As is typical, I need to make this about me. First of all, this sick bastard is not helping the image of pale, bald men in their early 40s. For the record: we are not all weirdos.
I lived in Modesto for two and a half years, from 1998 to 2000. Located in the northern San Joaquin Valley, it’s halfway between Fresno and Sacramento. I moved to the Mo-town because I knew it was home to Gallo Wines’ headquarters, which, naturally, meant it was wine country. (Note: the location of a wine giant’s HQ does not a Napa make.) It’s as quiet as a city of 100,000 residents can be.
Which means it’s a lousy place to be single. But this James Hooker perv isn’t single! He’s married with three kids, one of whom attends the same school as his live-in (threw up in my mouth) lover. Sorry I, like, stole your dad from your mom.
Poor Modesto. What cursed this town to become a magnet for media circuses? Allow me to refresh your memory: inFebruary 1999, Yosemite serial killer Cary Stayner dumped a victim’s wallet on a Modesto street to throw cops off his trail (didn’t work); in 2001, local girl Chandra Levy disappeared in DC, resulting in the revelation she’d been having an affair with Congressman Gary Condit; and in December 2002, Laci Peterson vanished. Thankfully, no murders sparked this latest media frenzy.
Speaking of murder, if Jordan’s dad whacked the whack job defiling his 18-year old daughter, would he be convicted by a jury of his peers?
“Well, I think 18 and 40 is creepy without the teacher/student status. I know it’s “legal” but that doesn’t make it any less creepy to me.” I don’t find it creepy in the least and wouldn’t even if she were 16. I have never and still don’t understand this idea that you have to date someone your own age. I also don’t understand what people do in “adult relationships” whatever the fuck that means. And I DON’T think a 40 year old necessarily has anything at all over an 18 year old. But so what if he did. Why would… Read more »
“Your partner can’t know more than you? Can’t have experienced more than you?” I think this goes back to the way that society tends to write a prescription for what a ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ romantic relationship is, just in general. And when you deviate from that norm, society tends to say that the relationship somehow isn’t “real.” We forget that a person’s personal preference when it comes to the age of their partners is just that…a personal preference. For some people, age does matter…and that’s fine. And in some cases, an older man/woman is taking advantage of a younger man/woman…and… Read more »
As a society we have drawn a line in the sand where individuals are expected to make their own decisions and begin acting like responsible adults. This line comes at 18 years old. Maybe some people won’t be ready for that, hopefully most will, but if we expect children to become adults and take this responsibility on board then the least we owe them is a little consistancy. When two legal adults begin a relationship that is their business, end of. We do not have the right to interfere and begin judging as to whether their motivations are pure or… Read more »
It’s not the age difference that I personally object to, it’s the cold and harsh way he has thrown his family in the garbage can. He was quoted as saying that he hoped to start a new family… A new family? He already has one. I mean – maybe His wife is absolutely awful… But what about your kids? Just done with them too? What a bastard! Also – he’s all over the news swinging on a swing set at a park with his new little Lolita which – I have to admit was a pretty brilliant way for the… Read more »
“It’s not the age difference that I personally object to, it’s the cold and harsh way he has thrown his family in the garbage can. He was quoted as saying that he hoped to start a new family… A new family? ” I completely agree and find it highly disturbing that people are more worried about the age difference than what he did to his family. A 40 year old with an 18 year old … evil, perverted and C-R-E-E-P-Y. A man who destroys his family and throws it away like trash…that’s fine. The values of our society are deeply… Read more »
Look…it’s legal, and he’s not her teacher. It’s unorthodox, but it’s not this horrible evil thing everyone seems to be making it out to be. For everyone saying she’s young and doesn’t know what love is, etc….well hell maybe. Or maybe she’s had a lot more life experience than we’re assuming – we don’t know. And maybe he’s some big ol’ romantic who’s just as much in love as she is. Everyone seems to be assuming that because of their age differences, they’re entering this relationship for the wrong reasons. But look…I know I’ve entered into relationships with my eyes… Read more »
The guy is a psychopath…I’m sure when more details come out about their activity before she turned 18, then he will be exposed for all his lies and manipulation….This is not love….this is about control and the high he gets with getting away with a crime….If he really loved her, he would leave her alone….His acts are completely selfish and solely for his ego rush….
I bet her parents will sue the school…and him!
“The guy is a psychopath”
And your diagnosis comes on the basis of…?
The only way you could know about what this is or isn’t for him is to become his therapist and get him to open up. The fact is that, while your analysis painting him as a malicious criminal may be correct, you don’t really have any more of a damn clue about his motivations than I do.
“this is about control and the high he gets with getting away with a crime….If he really loved her, he would leave her alone….His acts are completely selfish and solely for his ego rush”
Where did you acquire your mind-reading powers from?
Well said.
Well, I think 18 and 40 is creepy without the teacher/student status. I know it’s “legal” but that doesn’t make it any less creepy to me. Add in not only the teacher/student status, but the fact that this man’s own daughter is only one year younger then the girl and in the same school as the girl he is now banging and living with, the creep factor goes off the radar. I also doubt they “waited” until she was 18. This guy couldn’t even wait until his own daughter of 17 was out of school before he hooked up with… Read more »
Lots of good questions and points.
I wanna be clear: I wasn’t advocating murder. Penis-snipping, maybe.
She is 18 NOW, but not when the teacher started making his moves. C-R-E-E-P-Y.
Advocating sexual mutilation / sexual assault is that much better? If a crime was committed, arrest and charge him…..if not drop it. Two adults chose to be in a in a relationship ….. one that has little social sanction.
“She is 18 NOW, but not when the teacher started making his moves. C-R-E-E-P-Y.”
Why creepy?
Dude, YOU are CREEPY!
Again explanation. Do you even have one?
She’s an adult. Having sex with an 18 year old is not illegal. A man being attracted to an 18 year old young woman is hardly “perverted,” no matter what age he is. He didn’t shack up with a sheep, he shacked up with a nubile young woman. Not sure how that particular detail is strange. The fact that he was a teacher at her school, the fact that he was married, and the fact that he has a daughter that age at the same school are the creepy parts, to my mind. There are some perfectly common things getting… Read more »
I remember seeing a “Dateline” interview of Mary Kay Latourneau and her husband Vili Fualaau shortly after she was released from prison. Fulaau was older than Jordan Powers, but not by much (I think 19 or 20). However, Fulaau’s victimization began when he was 12 years old, and Latourneau gave birth to two of Fulaau’s children by the time he was 14. The interview was largely an indictment of society, for having doubted the strength of the couple’s bond. Given the leniency of Latourneau’s initial sentence (6 months), I was astounded to see the interviewer glorifying and validating their relationship,… Read more »
I’m curious why ‘the good men project’ doesn’t seem as interested in some of the far more cut-and-dried instances of sexual assault between teachers and their current students.
In fact I’m doubly curious why ‘the good men project’ isn’t reporting on female sexual misconduct in this area to any great extent. (If I’m wrong in my perception, I apologize.)
Typhon, if you have links you’d love to have us write about (or if you’d like to write) please let us know. I think that’s absolutely a great topic. Ultimately, I think topics on any misconduct should be reported evenly and certainly I hope those cases are being investigated.
Unfortunately I haven’t kept track of specific instances, I’m just aware of them. Here’s a blog on the topic:
http://femalesexoffenders.com/fso/
There must be enough evidence around to put that guy in jail…or at least to get him fired….
He already quit his job. Evidence of what?
That’s not sex ed. He wasn’t a sex ed teacher. I don’t at all mind the humor in the piece but as someone who advocates for sex ed in schools (and there are many states eliminating even the most basic sex ed), I’d have appreciated a different title. Like…Hot For Teacher Goes Wrong, Or December May Is Here To Stay or anything indicating that this is what sex ed will lead to.
I know I sound like a whiner, but damn, sex ed has it bad enough.
Thank you. This is exactly what I was thinking.
“If Jordan’s dad whacked the whack job defiling his 18-year old daughter, would he be convicted by a jury of his peers?” 1) Jordan’s dad passed away some years ago. 2) Jordan is an 18 year old adult. She is as guilty as Hooker. She is defiling herself. 3) You should remove the above sentence, which appears to advocate murder, particularly in light of your quote about “bolt cutters” . If not, your post should be deleted. The victims are Hooker’s children, who will suffer the effects of this outrage for years to come. The 18 year old trollop is… Read more »