Former Cherokee teacher convicted in sexual exploitation case

A former Cherokee High School teacher has been sentenced in a case in which he was accused of sexually exploiting a minor.

Joseph Vannatta, 46, pleaded guilty in July to a revised, lesser charge of harassment, which is an aggravated misdemeanor. Vannatta received a two-year suspended prison sentence. He will be on probation for two years. He was also given a five-year no-contact order with the victim and will have to pay state fines. In July, prosecutors said they were no longer seeking prison time as part of the plea deal.

Vannatta was initially charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee, a class D felony. With that charge he faced a prison sentence of up to five years. Vannatta initially pleaded not guilty and asked for the case to be dismissed. As part of the plea change, both sides agreed that the facts of the case did not constitute a sexually motivated crime.