Idaho Police: Former Teacher Had Sex with Teenager and Gave Him Alcohol, Marijuana

A former teacher in Saint Anthony, Idaho, is accused of having sex with a teenage boy as well as providing him with alcohol and marijuana.

Officials have charged 36-year-old Jessica Lawson with two counts of felony rape of a victim 16 or 17 years old, felony delivery of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor dispensing alcohol to a minor, East Idaho News reported Tuesday.

Lawson previously worked as a teacher for South Fremont High School from 2021 until 2023, the report said.

“Wow. Teachers were once so highly regarded,” one social media user commented on the story.

According to the article, a Saint Anthony Police Department officer made a traffic stop on November 6 because a car’s tail lights were out. Behind the wheel was a teenage boy, and it was discovered the vehicle belonged to Lawson.

The teen claimed the suspect let him drive the vehicle because she was “too drunk” to drive herself, and he also said he had marijuana.

The officer drove the teenager to his home, but hours later, the boy’s parents called the officer about the situation.

The article continued:

According to the parents, their son had been picked up by Lawson around 11 p.m. the night before and taken to her house in St. Anthony. The boy told his parents Lawson got drunk and he got high before the two had sex.

During a interview later with police, the boy said Lawson had given him marijuana while at her house and then the two had sex.

According to court documents, Lawson later called the teenager’s mother and admitted to picking him up from his house, taking him to her house and providing him with alcohol. She admitted to having marijuana in her house but said she did not give it to the boy.

The suspect also denied anything else happened between the two of them at the time.

According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) website, “Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse that includes sexual activity with a minor.

The organization emphasizes that children cannot consent to any sexual activity.

“When a perpetrator engages with a child this way, they are committing a crime that can have lasting effects on the victim for years,” the site reads.

Lawson was booked on a bond of $250,000, and if convicted, she could face a lifetime behind bars.

In September, law enforcement rearrested a teacher accused of raping a 12-year-old student in Covington, Tennessee, once she sent the child a text message saying he would “regret” notifying police officers, according to Breitbart News.