By Raul Castillo
Sep 29, 2024, 9:32 PM EDT
Jessica Lawson, an Idaho teacher, admitted to sexually assaulting a teenager after giving him marijuana and alcohol, for which she will spend up to two decades behind bars after accepting a plea deal.
The case came to light on November 6, 2023, when police stopped Lawson’s vehicle because the taillights were not working and officers discovered that a teenager was driving and the teacher, then 36 years old, was drunk in the passenger seat.
After investigation, the teen told authorities that Lawson had given her marijuana that night while she was drinking alcohol. Likewise, he explained that the woman took him out of her house, without permission from her parents, and they went to her house, where in addition to drinking and smoking, the woman sexually abused him.
After being arrested, she initially pleaded not guilty. However, on Thursday, September 26 of this year, the woman pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a minor.
District Judge Stephen Dunn sentenced her to a sentence of between two and 20 years in prison, during which she will have to attend treatment for sex offenders, as detailed by Law&Crime. Upon his release, Lawson will have to register as a sex offender.
The plea deal eliminates two counts of felony rape of a minor, as well as counts of felony delivery of a controlled substance and misdemeanor dispensing alcohol to a minor.
Adopted teenager
During the trial, Lawson’s attorney said that she wants to apologize to the victim and that she understands that she will go to prison. Apologies were also expressed by her later.
“I am solely responsible for my actions, but I believe that a (previous) relationship was the catalyst that led me down the path to where I am today,” Lawson said, according to the outlet. “I want to apologize to the victim and her family for any pain I have caused. “I want to apologize to the community and anyone I have let down.”
The teenager’s father, for his part, said that he and his wife had adopted him days before the crime.
“My son is going to take a long time to heal and he doesn’t even know the wounds he has yet. “You will not understand those wounds until you are a father and send your daughter or son… to the home of a father you trust,” the man said.
With information from Law&Crime.
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