ABC7: Former MCPS teacher says he abused 14-year-old girl because he was always drunk or high

ABC7: 

ROCKVILLE, Md. (ABC7) — A former Montgomery County teacher says he showed up to work drunk or high nearly every day --- and that was his defense for having sexual relations with one of his former middle school students.
Robert Wilson III stood stoic Tuesday morning as a judge sentenced him to 18 months in prison.
In April, Montgomery County Police arrested Wilson III for having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl at Loiederman Middle School in Silver Spring.
Wilson III, who was a para-educator at Loiederman, met the girl in October 2014 through an after school math club that he supervised. The girl was 13-years-old at the time.
For the next six months, Wilson III would meet the girl (almost daily) in a school stairwell free of security cameras. There the two would kiss and inappropriately touch one another, court records state.
At sentencing, Wilson III's public defender blamed her client's actions on an alcohol and marijuana addiction, which according to court records, was so severe, Wilson III was at a nearly constant state of intoxication.
Prosecutors say because of the repeated abuse, the teenage victim now suffers from a loss of appetite, sleepless nights and a mood disorder.
Wilson III apologized in court, saying he'll have to explain his actions to his six-month-old daughter when she grows up.
Following sentencing, Wilson III's family left court quite upset, shouting that other Montgomery County teachers have been convicted of worse crimes, and add that those individuals got-off with lighter sentences.
Montgomery County Circuit Court judge Nelson Rupp however saw things differently saying, "No prison time would send the wrong message."
In addition to his 18 month prison sentence, Wilson III will have to register as a Maryland sex offender, undergo random drug testing, substance abuse treatment; mental health consultations and refrain from supervising minors, aside from his two young children.