FULLERTON, Calif. – A former high school teacher and coach was sentenced to jail for engaging in unlawful sex acts with an underage student. Rebecca Eileen Diebolt, 37, of Brea, pleaded guilty on Jan. 15, 2016, to one felony count of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and one felony count of sexual penetration with a foreign object of a minor. She was sentenced today to 3 years, 8 months in state prison stayed pending successful completion of 5 years formal, supervised probation, completion of 180 days in county jail, and completion of all sex offender terms. Diebolt was also sentenced to mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.

At the time of the crime, Diebolt was employed as a language arts teacher and a coach for girl's swimming and water polo at Valencia High School in Placentia. Diebolt had been teaching at the school since 2003.

In 2004, Diebolt established an illegal sexual relationship with then 15-year-old Jane Doe. On multiple occasions between 2004 and 2008, Diebolt engaged in sexual acts with the victim in the defendant's classroom at the high school and at the defendant's home after school and on weekends. She continued the sexual relationship after Jane Doe graduated from high school and began attending college.

On June 4, 2014, the victim reported the sex acts to the Placentia Police Department, who investigated this case and arrested Diebolt one week later.

Deputy District Attorney Karyn Stokke of the Sexual Assault Unit prosecuted this case.

Orange County District Attorney / Case # 14NF2716 / August 26, 2016