Former Jones County High band director sentenced to prison for sexual contact with student

A former Jones County High School band director was sentenced last week to serve 15 years, three of them in prison, after he pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with a student.

Robert Corey Tanner, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault of a student in a Jan. 7 Jones County Superior Court hearing, said Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney Steve Bradley.

In fall 2014, school administrators warned Tanner not to be alone with the then-14-year-old girl. But in summer 2015, Tanner had sexual contact with the girl, engaging in sex acts short of sexual intercourse, Bradley said.

Tanner employed the use of other students to assist in his off-campus rendezvous with the then-15-year-old girl in July and August, he said.

After he's released from prison, Tanner must abide by sex offender conditions of probation and is barred from unsupervised contact with anyone under 18, Bradley said.

Tanner resigned from his job Sept. 3.

Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack call 744-4398 or find her on Twitter@awomackmacon.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Former Jones County High band director sentenced to prison for sexual contact with student ."