Former teacher sentenced for having sex with teenage boy

Listen to a information of Jessica Lawson’s sentencing successful nan video subordinate above. | Fremont County Court

ST. ANTHONY — A 36-year-old erstwhile coach was sentenced Thursday aft admitting to sexually battering a teenage boy.

Senior District Judge Stephen Dunn sentenced Jessica Lawson to a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 20 years successful prison. She will beryllium required to registry arsenic a activity offender and be activity offender curen successful prison, and erstwhile she is released connected parole.

Dunn besides ordered a no-contact bid for nan unfortunate for 20 years.

RELATED | Former precocious schoolhouse coach arrested and charged pinch rape of teenage boy

Lawson initially pleaded not blameworthy to 2 counts of felony rape of a unfortunate who is 16 aliases 17 years of age, felony transportation of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor dispensing intoxicant to a minor.

As portion of a plea agreement, Lawson pleaded blameworthy successful August to 2 counts of felony intersexual artillery of a insignificant who is 16 aliases 17 years of age, and nan Attorney General’s agency dropped each different charges, on pinch a abstracted lawsuit wherever Lawson was charged pinch an infraction for permitting an unauthorized insignificant to drive.

Jessica Lawson during na earlier tribunal hearing. | Andrea Olson, EastIdahoNews.com

Click present for much specifications astir this case.

EastIdahoNews.com submitted an charismatic petition to nan Fremont County Courthouse connected Tuesday to person a camera successful nan proceeding but Judge Dunn denied it and refused to let a camera successful nan courtroom.

Assistant Trial Court Administrator Alayne Bean told EastIdahoNews.com Dunn declined nan petition because he did not person it 24 hours successful advance, though nan written petition was submitted to nan tribunal clerk complete 2 days anterior from nan hearing’s commencement time.

Sentencing

Dunn began nan proceeding by telling Lawson’s defense attorney, Allen Browning, and nan Deputy Attorney General Madison Allen that they could support their arguments short because he intended to judge nan plea agreement.

“I cognize this is simply a superior matter. I’ve been doing this a agelong clip and I return it seriously,” said Dunn. “I’ve reviewed each spot of this record successful detail. I’ve publication each letter, publication everything location is astir this case. I’ve been connected it from time one…I spot nary logic why I would beryllium inclined to cull this binding Rule 11 plea agreement.”

RELATED | Former coach charged pinch rape of teenage boy appears successful court

Browning past gave a short connection to nan court, stating that his customer understood that she would beryllium going to prison.

“She wishes to apologize to nan victim,” said Browning. “She has agreed and understands that she will beryllium going to prison. She understands that successful nan liking of justice, that is appropriate.”

Allen stated nan facts of nan case, including nan dream that nan condemnation sentence would deter this benignant of behaviour successful nan future.

“Jessica Lawson, who was 36 years aged astatine nan time, had an unlawful intersexual narration pinch a 16-year-old insignificant antheral unfortunate erstwhile she picked him up from his location secretly without his parents’ permission,” said Allen. “She took him to her location wherever nan 2 began to portion intoxicant and past they engaged successful activity acts together.”

The victim’s begetter said his kid was adopted only days earlier nan crime came to ray and nan unfortunate grew up successful foster homes wherever he lacked parental figures to thatch him correct and wrong.

RELATED | Former coach pleads blameworthy to intersexual artillery of a teenage boy

“It takes a colony to raise a young man, particularly a young man that has been successful and retired of foster care, that has ne'er known what it’s for illustration to person a mom and a dad,” nan begetter said. “My boy is going to return a agelong clip to heal and he doesn’t moreover cognize nan wounds that he has yet. He’s not going to understand those wounds until he’s a genitor and he’s sending his girl aliases son…to nan location of a genitor that he trusts.”

The victim’s mother besides said to nan tribunal saying organization members person bullied her because of nan case. She explained her boy did not cognize really to differentiate betwixt safe and unsafe people.

“We brought (the victim) successful because he needed somebody, and he didn’t person anybody…It was beautiful speedy that we realized this is simply a really awesome kid, and he’s awesome and he should beryllium successful our family,” said nan mother. “He’s sewage a batch of problems because he didn’t person a mom and dada that taught him really to admit safe people. And you took advantage of that…she knew she could get thing from him.”

Lawson apologized to nan unfortunate and his family. She elaborate a 15-year abusive relationship, which she credits arsenic nan “catalyst” for her crimes.

“My matrimony was highly damaging to my self-esteem and my intelligence health. I unsocial americium responsible for my actions, but I judge that this narration was nan catalyst that group maine down nan way to wherever I americium today,” said Lawson. “I want to apologize to nan unfortunate and his family for immoderate symptom that I person caused. I want to apologize to nan organization and anyone I’ve fto down.”

The victim’s parents stated they consciousness location was a double modular successful nan lawsuit and that Lawson whitethorn person gotten a harsher condemnation if she was a man and nan unfortunate was a female. Dunn disagreed pinch nan statement.

“This is astir apt nan sixth clip I’ve dealt pinch a lawsuit for illustration this, wherever nan suspect was a female teacher. Sometimes nan victims are male, and sometimes they’re female,” said Dunn. “There isn’t a double standard. The standards are nan same. A personification underage does not person nan ineligible expertise to consent to this benignant of behavior. The work is each connected nan defendant.”

Dunn continued, saying location is nary excuse for nan crime and nary excuse for bullying nan victim’s family.

“If location person been group successful your family, aliases supporters of yours that person said bad things, unspeakable things to nan victim’s family, they should beryllium ashamed of themselves,” said Dunn. “I understand you’ve been done immoderate difficult times. There hasn’t been 1 of these cases wherever I haven’t had a female successful beforehand of me, a suspect who hasn’t told maine a akin story, frankly, astir usually an abusive matrimony and debased self-esteem.”