10-year sentence for former teacher

By Breyana Segura - Chief Staff Writer | July 16, 2025

Guilty of improper relationship with student

Lance St. Germain

Lance St. Germain, a former Cotulla High School teacher, has been sentenced to ten years in prison on a felony conviction for engaging in an improper relationship with a student during his tenure in March 2022.
81st Judicial District Attorney Audrey Louis’ office reported St. Germain pled guilty to the second-degree felony charge on April 14. He faced Judge Russell Wilson, who handed down the ten-year sentence, in a La Salle County courtroom on Wednesday, July 2.
A La Salle County grand jury had handed down an indictment against St. Germain on Friday, November 4, 2022.
According to a report on the case, allegations made against the then 35-year-old high school teacher for having an inappropriate relationship with a female student were reported on March 8, 2022, to the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office.
The report said an anonymous tip included a witness statement regarding St. Germain kissing the student on campus during school hours.
Interviews conducted by the sheriff’s office with the suspect led to St. Germain making a statement regarding his alleged involvement with the student, which was corroborated by statements made by the alleged victim during forensic interviews by investigators at the Children’s Alliance of South Texas, according to an investigator.
Prosecutors told the court during the sentencing that a joint investigation by the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office and Cotulla ISD revealed St. Germain engaged in an unlawful and inappropriate relationship with the student over a period of a few weeks, including sending and receiving explicit photos and sexual contact with the student with in school classroom.
St. Germain was immediately remanded into custody following his sentencing hearing.
“When teachers cross the line with students, they violate the trust placed in them by students, colleagues, parents, and the entire school community,” DA Louis said. “Such conduct demands full accountability.”