An Idaho high school teacher has been sentenced to a minimum of two years and up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual battery against a minor. Jessica Lawson, 36, admitted to two counts of sexual battery as part of a plea agreement during which additional charges of providing alcohol to a minor and distributing a controlled substance were dropped, according to the New York Post.

Lawson was arrested in St. Anthony, Idaho, in November 2023, when police stopped a vehicle driven by a teenage boy, with Lawson as the passenger. Reports from the Idaho State Journal, East Idaho News, and Local News 8 indicate that Lawson instructed the boy to drive because she was too "drunk."

The car was initially pulled over due to a broken taillight, and the boy reportedly admitted to having marijuana. His parents later informed police that Lawson had picked him up the previous night, and he confessed to receiving alcohol and marijuana from her before they engaged in sexual activity.

Lawson, who previously taught at South Fremont High School, will serve at least two years in prison and has been issued a 20-year no-contact order with the victim, as reported by East Idaho News.

The victim's father addressed the court, stating, "It takes a village to raise a young man, especially one who has been in and out of foster care and lacks a stable family environment. My son will take a long time to heal and won't fully understand his wounds until he becomes a parent himself."

The teen's mother explained that her son struggles to distinguish between safe and unsafe situations due to his experiences in foster care. She shared, "We took him in because he needed someone, and we quickly realized he was a wonderful kid who belonged in our family. He faces many challenges because he never had parents to teach him how to identify safe people. Lawson exploited that vulnerability."

Disclaimer: This image is taken from NDTV