Teacher Accused of Raping Teen Boy Was Arrested in Traffic Stop — He Was Driving Because She Was Drunk: Police
Jessica Lawson is charged with two counts of rape of a victim between the ages of 16 and 17
Madison County Jail
Jessica LawsonA former high school teacher in Idaho was arrested at a traffic stop while a teenage boy — who she is accused of raping — was driving after police allege she gave him drugs and alcohol, according to multiple reports.
Police say the boy was driving because the woman, Jessica Lawson, 36, was too inebriated, according to the Idaho State Journal, East Idaho News and Local News 8.
Lawson is a former teacher at South Fremont High School. Court records indicate that she is charged with two counts of rape of a male child between the ages of 16 and 17, delivery of a controlled sentence and a misdemeanor count of dispensing an alcoholic beverage to a minor.
Citing court records, the State Journal reports that on Nov. 6, police pulled over the teen while he was driving Lawson’s car, which had a taillight out. The teen reportedly told the officer that he was driving because she was “too drunk to drive,” according to the court documents. Police also allege that the teen admitted to having marijuana.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Later that day, the outlets report, police received a 911 call from the boy’s parents, who claimed Lawson had picked up their son around 11 p.m. the previous night and took him to her home.
The teen reportedly told police that Lawson had given him alcohol and marijuana before they had sex.
According to the reports, police say Lawson denied giving the boy marijuana or having sex with him. She is currently being held in custody on $250,000 bond. It is unclear if she's retained an attorney to speak on her behalf.
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.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
