Idaho teacher sentenced to prison for sexual battery, rape of teen adopted by a local family days prior

A former Idaho schoolteacher was sentenced to prison time for sexual battery and rape of a minor who was adopted out of the foster system by a local family just days before she assaulted him.Jessica Lawson, 36, accepted a plea deal for felony sexual battery and charges of felony rape of a minor.

She previously faced charges of felony delivery of a controlled substance and misdemeanor dispensing alcohol to a minor for allegedly giving the 16-year-old boy marijuana and alcohol, but those were dropped as part of the deal.Lawson — who taught at South Fremont High School from August 2021 through June 2023 — will face two to 20 years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender, along with attending sex offender treatment.There will also be a no-contact order in place against the victim for 20 years.An officer from the Saint Anthony Police Department pulled over Lawson’s car on the morning of Nov.

6, 2023 because her vehicle had no visible taillights.The cop found the teen boy driving, having been given the keys by Lawson who was too “drunk to drive,” authorities said.

The boy admitted to having used marijuana, which was given to him by Lawson, and was driven home by the officer.Lawson was arrested later that week after the boy told his parents that she had picked him up that night and described how they had smoked and drank alcohol before having sex.

Lawson called the teen’s parents and admitted to having given him alcohol and picking him up, but denied that “anything else had occurred,” including the alleged sexual acts and substance use.The teen’s parents, who had adopted him just days before he was assaulted, said that while their son may have had no real idea about what was happening, he will still be dealing with the fallout of Lawson’s violation for years to come.

“It takes a village to raise a young man, especially a young man that has been in and out of foster care, that has never known what it’s like to have a mom and a dad...