Richland teacher pleads guilty in student sex case

A Richland teacher who had been charged with raping a student pleaded guilty Thursday to the lesser charge of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

The Tri-City Herald reports ( http://bit.ly/WrGDl5 ) the plea deal with Benton County prosecutors means 59-year-old Daryl Rachinski will have to register as a sex offender, undergo treatment and no longer work with young people. He may have to spend a month in jail.

Rachinski turned himself into police in June and said he had taken advantage of a close relationship with a teenage girl. He also resigned his job as a foreign language teacher at Hanford High School. He had worked for the district 19 years.