BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A Connecticut mother will plead guilty to charges stemming from an alleged sexual relationship she had with her daughter's 8-year-old schoolmate under a tentative agreement reached Wednesday.

The agreement likely ensures that former receptionist Tammy Imre, who has been held on bond since October 2004, will avoid going to trial on charges of sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

According to a police affidavit, Imre, 30, admitted she engaged in a "fantasy" relationship with the boy, in which "she was the girlfriend and he was the boyfriend and that someday they could end up together."

In an interview with investigators, she admitted kissing the boy on numerous occasions and said he would often lie on top of her dressed only in boxers after she stripped down to bra and panties.

Story continues

advertisement

Imre faced more than 20 years in prison if convicted on charges stemming from the alleged year-long relationship, which ended in her arrest after the victim's mother found a love letter from the defendant to her son.

"OK, I'm glad you finally told me why you don't want me to take those pills. I hope it's the truth because I don't want anyone but you!" the letter said, according to an affidavit. "Now tomorrow it's supposed to rain, you can come over we can (you know what) ... we can come upstairs, ok? Love ya! I want you!"

Imre will return to court Sept. 19, when she will plead guilty to reduced charges, according to her attorney Donald Papcsy. Under the agreement, which neither side would detail Wednesday, she would serve less than the 10-year mandatory minimum on the first-degree sex charges. The sentence would likely take into account one year of time she has already served.

Dressed in jeans, a gray sweatshirt and sneakers, the petite defendant looked more like a college student than a jailhouse inmate during her two-minute appearance in Fairfield Superior Court, although the shackles on her wrists and ankles indicated otherwise.

"She should be out of jail in a relatively short period of time," Papcsy said outside of court. "She'll be a young woman still and hopefully will be able to assimilate back into society."

The victim's mother also attended the brief proceedings, accompanied by a lawyer representing her in a civil suit against Imre.

Assistant State Attorney Cornelius Kelly would not comment but said he hopes all goes as planned at the next hearing "for the victim's sake."

Imre admitted to writing the letter and engaging in sexual activity with the boy, but stopped short of confessing to intercourse, as charged in the indictment.

When police interviewed Imre's daughter, however, and asked her why she thought she was there, "she quickly stated that the 'victim' was doing disgusting things with her mom," according to the police affidavit.

She told police she had witnessed the pair "humping," kissing, licking and undressing each other, and even claimed to have witnessed the victim shaving her mother's genital area with a razor.

After Imre pleaded not guilty to the charges in November, Papcsy filed a motion indicating that he planned to pursue a mental health defense.

"Our position was always that it wasn't a sex case," he said. "We proved that to the state with psychiatric reports that backed our defense of mental deficiency."