Former Las Cruces teacher sentenced to 2 years for electronic child solicitation

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) -- A former Las Cruces middle school teacher and coach was sentenced to two years in prison for having sexually inappropriate communications with a student, the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

Wyatt Cornelius pleaded guilty to child solicitation by electronic device and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in October.

Cornelius was a teacher and coach at Camino Real Middle School is Las Cruces. Las Cruces Public Schools hired him on July 1, 2006, and terminated him on May 22, 2026.

The former teacher engaged in sexual conversations with a 13-year-old student through a school app and Snapchat, the district attorney's office said. During those conversations, Cornelius made sexually explicit comments and encouraged the victim to sneak out to meet him.

“Cornelius was a 43-year-old educator who groomed a 13-year-old girl. This was not an isolated incident. It was a calculated process,” District Attorney Fernando Macias said. “The defendant engaged in a monthslong betrayal that likely would have continued had he not been caught.”

Authorities arrested Cornelius in April after a teenage student reported the improper relationship. In July, two additional counts of criminal sexual contact were added after a second teen victim came forward. The abuse happened between September 2025 and February 2026.