Jessica Lawson, an Idaho teacher, faces two to 20 years in prison after sexually abusing a teenage boy
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 Nov. 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, was drunk in the passenger seat.
Upon investigation, the teenager told authorities that Lawson had given him marijuana that night while she was drinking alcohol. He also detailed that the woman took him out of her house, without his parents’ authorization, 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 between two and 20 years in prison, where she will have to attend sex offender treatment, Law&Crime detailed. Upon her release, Lawson will have to register as a sex offender.
The plea agreement eliminates two counts of felony rape of a minor, as well as charges of felony delivery of a controlled substance and misdemeanor dispensing alcohol to a minor.
Adopted Teen
During the trial, Lawson’s attorney stated that she wants to apologize to the victim and that she understands she will go to prison. The apology was also stated by her later.
“I am solely responsible for my actions, but I believe a (previous) relationship was the catalyst that led me down the path to where I am today,” Lawson said, as picked up by the media outlet. “I want to apologize to the victim and his family for any pain I caused. I want to apologize to the community and anyone I let down.”
The teen’s father, meanwhile, said he and his wife had adopted him days before the crime.
“It’s going to take my son a long time to heal and he doesn’t even know the wounds he has yet. He’s not going to understand those wounds until he becomes a father and sends his daughter or son … to the home of a father he trusts,” the man said.
With information from Law&Crime.