Former ECISD teacher pleads to sexual assault

Former Bonham Junior High teacher Bryan Dale Berta pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to four counts of sexual assault of a child regarding a 14-year-old former student.

Berta, 46, was sentenced in the 358th District Court to 20 years for each charge to run concurrently after accepting a plea deal offered by the Ector County District Attorney’s Office. Berta was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution.

Berta sat in almost complete silence as Judge Bill McCoy read each charge. Berta answered only with “guilty” to tell the judge he was waiving his rights to be indicted by a grand jury and to a trial by jury.

Scott Layh, sexual assault and child abuse prosecutor, said it’s unusual to see defendants waive their rights in cases of this magnitude.

Berta was originally arrested and charged June 13 with four counts of sexual assault.

Affidavits also state Berta had sex with the student on two different occasions at the girl’s house and a total of five times at the school. Documents state Berta was the girl’s geography teacher.

The girl told her stepfather about the encounters with Berta, and the stepfather called the Odessa Police Department, according to the affidavits.

Layh said that once he received the case, he talked to Berta’s defense lawyer Dan Sullivan and offered a plea deal, and Sullivan ultimately accepted the offer on behalf of Berta.

Part of the deal also included dropping the three charges of improper relationship with a student, Layh said. Those charges weren’t as important because they didn’t even carry a requirement to register as a sex offender, Layh said.

Layh said it’s a pretty good bet that Berta won’t be teaching again.

“We will definitely be pushing to have a removal of his license,” he said.

Berta, who taught at Bonham for six years, resigned June 14.

Layh said he was happy with the outcome of the case because it gave the family justice and it kept the victim from having to take the stand during a trail.

“Having to relive those moments; that’s a hard thing to do,” Layh said. “Especially for a child.”

The girl’s family was in the courtroom and her stepfather took the stand to deliver an impact statement to Berta.

While holding back a mixture of anger and tears, the man told the story about how the family had only been living in the area for less than two years. He said that even though Berta pleaded guilty, he was not the happiest with the deal.

“I think 20 years is nothing compared to what she has to go through the rest of her life,” the stepfather said.

As the man read a letter from the girl about how the girl continued to be teased and called names by fellow students over the incident, Berta just sat in his chair and shook his head from side to side.

The stepfather told Berta Tuesday would not be the last time he saw him.

“I promise I will be at every parole hearing you have to say what I have to say,” the man said.

@OAgovernment