"She bore him a son"

Christine Scarlett, the former substitute teacher whose affair with a special-education student attracted national attention, has avoided a potentially salacious trial set to begin Monday.

Scarlett, 40, pleaded guilty Friday to five felony charges related to her seduction of Steven Bradigan, who was the 17-year-old captain of the Strongsville High School football team when the relationship began in 2002. She bore him a son the next year.

Their affair was exposed last year after Bradigan, who has a hearing problem and a learning deficiency, sued Scarlett and the Strongsville School District, accusing her of taking advantage of his youth and disability and district officials of failing to report her to police. A Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge threw out the case, which is now on appeal.