YAKIMA, Wash. -- A former Wapato teacher was sentenced Friday to life in prison for raping one of his students.

Jesus Vega Barcenas, 29, must serve at least nine years before a state parole board considers whether he qualifies for release.

Vega Barcenas must register as a sex offender and will remain under the supervision of state probation officers for the rest of his life.

The girl, now 14, testified that she continues to have nightmares related to her contact with Vega Barcenas, who was convicted in November of two counts of second-degree rape and found innocent of three counts of first-degree rape.

"He stole my innocence," the victim said. "I'm not the same little girl anymore."

Judge Michael Schwab said he settled on the 108-month minimum term because Vega Barcenas' actions destroyed the trust that parents across the Yakima Valley place in teachers when they drop their children off at school every morning.

"The harm done to the community is unmeasureable. The trust relationship between a teacher and students is one of the most important relationships we have in our society. We expect that society will protect them," Schwab said.

Vega Barcenas was arrested in December 2007 after the girl and her mother came to Yakima police. Barcenas met the girl in an after-school program and was, subsequently, her fifth-grade teacher.

According to the charges, the incidents took place in Vega Barcenas' classroom and at the girl's home between 2006 and 2007. He had moved to the family's Yakima home after he started dating the girl's mother.

Yakima police Detective Chad Janis told Schwab he believed Vega Barcenas had been grooming the girl for up to two years before they first had sexual contact. He then developed a relationship with the girl's mother to continue seeing her, Janis said.

The maximum standard sentence, which deputy prosecutor Patti Powers requested be imposed, was more than 11 years. Schwab said he reduced the punishment somewhat because of Vega Barcenas' statements that he accepted responsibility for the crime.

Defense attorney Greg Scott first asked for a three-year sentence, with several years of sex offender treatment in the community upon release.

But that request was complicated by sentencing requirements that would have forced Schwab to release Vega Barcenas immediately or leave open the possibility that he could have faced even more time behind bars.

Scott emphasized that a counseling report found Vega Barcenas amenable to treatment. Scott said the charges resulted from jealousy between the mother and daughter, pointing out that the mother pursued a relationship with Vega Barcenas even though she knew the girl had an unhealthy interest in her young teacher.

Vega Barcenas told the judge he was "truly sorry" for the damage he had done to the victim and her family.

"It's a scar that won't go away. She will have to deal with it for the rest of her life," Vega Barcenas said.

Schwab emphasized that adults must protect children such as the victim.

"She is faultless in this proceeding. As adults, we are responsible for making sure children are nurtured and protected," the judge said.

* Mark Morey can be reached at 509-577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.