Jessica Lawson, a 36-year-old former high school teacher from Idaho, was sentenced to a minimum of two years in prison after pleading guilty to felony sexual battery involving a minor.
Lawson was arrested on November 6, 2023, during a traffic stop by the St. Anthony Police Department. Officers pulled over her vehicle due to malfunctioning taillights and found Lawson in the passenger seat while a 16- or 17 -year-old boy was driving.
According to police reports, Lawson told the boy to drive because she was too drunk to do so herself.
East Idaho News reported the teen told police Lawson had picked him up from his house where he lives with his parents around 11 p.m., and then they returned to her home where she drank, he smoked marijuana, and they had sex.
Initially, Lawson was found guilty to two, including felony rape of a victim who is 16 or 17 years of age, felony delivery of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor dispensing alcohol to a minor.
As part of a plea agreement, Lawson agreed to plead guilty to two counts of felony sexual battery of a minor who is 16 or 17 years of age.
In exchange, the Attorney General’s office dropped all other charges, along with a separate case where Lawson was charged with an infraction for permitting an unauthorized minor to drive.
The Attorney General’s Office recommended a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, which Senior District Judge Stephen Dunn accepted during the sentencing hearing on September 26, 2024.
The plea agreement was binding, meaning Once the judge approved the plea deal, it became final, and the sentence couldn’t be changed
The victim is a former foster child who had been adopted by his parents just days before the incident. His parents expressed deep concern about his long-term mental health during the court proceedings.
“My son will take a long time to heal,” his father told the court.
His mother added that the boy struggles to recognize danger due to his foster care background.
A spokesperson for the Fremont County Joint School District confirmed Lawson’s employment from August 2021 until June 2023 but declined further comment on the charges against her.
Before sentencing, Lawson was held at the Madison County Jail with bond set at $50,000.
Police reported that she had been ordered to have no contact with the victim.
