Former Sabine educator to spend year in prison, register as sex offender

MANY, La. -- A former Sabine Parish educator who acted inappropriately with his students has to spend at least a year behind bars.  John "Jay" Booker III, 49, of Many, was sentenced in Sabine District Court Tuesday to three years in state prison, with two of those years suspended. He'll also be on supervised probation upon his release and must register as a sex offender for 15 years. Booker was convicted last week by a Sabine Parish jury following a four-day trial. He was found guilty of two counts of attempted indecent behavior with a juvenile.  A grand jury indicted Booker in late 2020 for the offenses that happened from Aug. 1, 2019 through Aug. 31, 2020 while Booker was a teacher and coach at Many Junior High School. The juveniles, who were his students, were under the age of 17. When he was arrested, Booker was an instructor at the Sabine Career Academy in Many. The juvenile victims reported Booker to the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office.