The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, December 14, 1994           TAG: 9412140628
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                            LENGTH: Short :   26 lines

FORMER TEACHER GETS 15 YEARS

A former Ruffner Middle School teacher has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for having sex with two of his students.

Dung Ba Tran, who taught violin, was arrested by Norfolk police in March and charged with eight counts of carnal knowledge after a 14-year-old student told police she had a relationship with him from September 1992 to July 1993.

Before being sentenced Monday by Norfolk Circuit Judge John C. Morrison Jr., Tran had been sentenced to five years for sexual charges in Hampton.

In February, Hampton police arrested Tran after a 17-year-old girl said she and Tran had sex in his Hampton apartment starting in 1991, when she was a 14-year-old student at Ruffner.

Tran was suspended in February after the Hampton charges. School officials have said Tran would be fired if found guilty of the charges.

KEYWORDS: CHILD MOLESTER SEX CRIME SENTENCE by CNB