Categories: News, Schenectady County

BALLSTON SPA — A former Saratoga Springs elementary school teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to raping a 13-year-old former student, according to court documents.

Elizabeth M. Barthelmas, 49, of Wilton, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree rape in Saratoga County Court.

She is to be sentenced in September to between 10 and 15 years in state prison, court officials said. Judge James A. Murphy III will determine the final term at her sentencing.

Barthelmas was arrested in June 2017 after an investigation by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies received a tip about the relationship and determined she raped the child between 2007 and 2008, officials said. The child had been a student in Barthelmas’ classroom before the sexual relationship began, and all of the crimes are believed to have happened at Barthelmas’ home, deputies said after the arrest.





“The victim is pleased with the result,” said Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen on Tuesday, adding that Barthelmas “was in a position of trust and violated that trust, and despite what her gender is, we treated her as we treat all defendants.”

Barthelmas’ attorney, Michael McDermott, said his client came forward to police about the crime because she felt guilty about what she had done.

“This is something that has been weighing on her for 10 years,” McDermott said. “She has taken full responsibility.”

Heggen would not go into details about the initial tip that led to the investigation, but she clarified that police were looking into Barthelmas’ misconduct before she spoke to police.

“She’s not the precipitating factor in [her arrest],” Heggen said.

Barthelmas had been a teacher at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School in the Saratoga Springs City School District since 2005. The district issued a statement after her arrest indicating she had been suspended, and confirmed Tuesday that she was no longer employed in the district.

Barthelmas taught in the Queensbury Union Free School district before she taught in Saratoga Springs, deputies said.