NAPPANEE — A judge listened to arguments today but wasn’t ready to decide whether to put a former NorthWood High School teacher on home detention.

Judge George Biddlecome said he needs 30 days to decide where Zachary T. Scott will serve the rest of his sentence for seducing a then-16-year-old female student.

Scott lost his job a year ago after the relationship between him and a female student came to light. He and the student were romantically involved, and she came to his house in Nappanee where they kissed and touched each other over their clothing on at least two separate occasions.

Thursday Biddlecome said, “It’s hard for me to believe that the father of two young children would commit a crime such as this.”

Scott, 28, now of Plymouth, blamed the illicit relationship on a lack of intimiacy in his marriage surrounding the birth of his son, one of his two children, Biddlecome pointed out at the sentencing hearing in late November.

Scott said Thursday, “I would like to be able to provide for my family, support them.”

Scott pleaded guilty in June.

Biddlecome sentenced the former NorthWood teacher to 18 months of work release for the two charges. However, in mid-December Elkhart County Community Corrections notified Biddlecome that Scott was not eligible for work release, so Biddlecome ordered the sentence served at the Indiana Department of Correction. He’s remained at the Elkhart County Jail since the sentencing.

Scott requested a change to the sentence that same day,

Last month Elkhart County Community Corrections filed an evaluation with Biddlecome, telling the judge Scott would best be served in the home-detention program.

His attorney, Andre Gammage, said Thursday that Scott’s family has a residence in Elkhart County for him if the judge would require Scott to stay here during the course of his sentence on home detention.

Scott said even after two months in jail, his job at a Plymouth aluminum business is still available to him.

Deputy Prosecutor Susan Snyder, though, said if Biddlecome lets Scott spend the rest of his time on home detention, that would depreciate the seriousness of the crime.

“It doesn’t take much to understand that the behavior he engaged in had traumatic results to the young lady, to his family, to himself, to the community as a whole,” she said.

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