Police Said Teacher Raped Student, Then Made Him Drive Because She Was Too Drunk. Now She's Going to Prison

Jessica Lawson was arrested in November 2023 after allegedly telling the teen to drive her car because she was too drunk

An Idaho high school teacher was sentenced to at least two years in prison and could serve up to 20 after pleading guilty to sexual battery of a child.

Jessica Lawson, 36, pleaded guilty to two counts of that charge as part of a plea agreement, according to online court records. As part of the agreement, a judge dismissed charges of dispensing alcohol to a minor and delivering a controlled substance, records indicate.

Lawson was arrested in St. Anthony, Idaho, in November 2023 after she was sitting in the passenger’s seat of a car being driven by a teenage boy that was pulled over by police, police said, according to reports from the Idaho State Journal, East Idaho News and Local News 8.

Police alleged that Lawson had instructed the boy to drive because she was too inebriated, the outlets reported.

Related: Teacher Accused of Raping Teen Boy Was Arrested in Traffic Stop — He Was Driving Because She Was Drunk: Police

The car was pulled over because of a broken taillight, the State Journal reported, citing court records. Police reportedly alleged that the boy admitted to having marijuana.

East Idaho News reported that the boy’s parents told police that Lawson had picked up their son the night before and that he admitted to having been given alcohol and marijuana before the two had sex.

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Police then interviewed the boy, the outlet reported, and he said the two had sex.

Lawson is a former teacher at South Fremont High School. She will serve a minimum of two years in prison. East Idaho News reports that she was also given a 20-year no contact order with the victim.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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