PHOENIX -- The Maricopa County Community College District plans to fire a professor after a female student died after being found in his Scottsdale townhouse.
District officials said Thursday that 51-year-old Paradise Valley Community College psychology professor Michael Todd has been told he will be terminated for having an "inappropriate relationship" with 19-year-old Andria Ziegler.
Ziegler had been taking courses from Todd for the past two semesters. She was apparently spending the night at Todd's condo when she died, according to investigators.Ziegler died about an hour after medical personnel were called to Todd's home early on April 20.Phoenix police are investigating but aren't calling the case a homicide. A cause of death is pending toxicology results.A letter from Chancellor Rufus Glasper to Todd accuses him of violating the district's policies on "amorous relationships" and says he "violated professional standards that MCCCD has a right to expect of its faculty to uphold."A message seeking comment from Todd's lawyer wasn't immediately returned.
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