A Tennessee teacher who was on the run for weeks with a 15-year-old student before being found in a remote area of Siskiyou County has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Tad Cummins broke down crying during sentencing in a Nashville courtroom Wednesday as he apologized to the victim and his own family.
A statement from the victim called the 52-year-old Cummins “disgusting” and said the effects of his actions on her were “devastating and permanent.”
Prosecutors asked for a 30-year sentence after Cummins pleaded guilty to transporting a minor across state lines for sex and obstructing justice.
The girl’s disappearance set off a national manhunt that ended when a man in a tiny Siskiyou County community of Cecilville recognized Cummins in April of 2017.