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Monterey County District Attorney Dean D. Flippo announced Tuesday that a former middle school administrator at El Sausal Middle School in Salinas pleaded guilty to 18 counts relating to his relationship with a 14-year-old student.

Vice Principal Raul Ramirez, 38, is charged with nine counts of unlawful sex with a minor, seven counts of lewd act on a child, two counts of contacting a minor for the purpose of sexual contact and one count of dissuading a witness.

Salinas Police Department investigators determined that Ramirez had multiple sexual encounters with the student, identified only as Jane Doe, over the course of a seven-month period ending in November. During that period, they exchanged some 10,000 text messages, according to the District Attorney's office.

Ramirez faces a minimum sentence of seven years in state prison and a maximum of nearly 18 years, and will be required to register as a sex offender for life. His sentencing is scheduled for May 1 before Judge Julie Culver.