Teacher sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual assault

 Posted on February 12, 2020 in Sex Offenses

On Jan. 31, an Illinois woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting two teenage boys. She will also be placed under two years of mandatory monitoring after her release and will have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of her life.

According to media reports, the defendant, a 31-year-old resident of Geneva, was formerly employed as a teacher at Carpentersville Middle School. Between July 2013 and May 2015, she reportedly had sex with two different 14-year-old boys who attended the school. She was not their teacher at the time the incidents occurred, but she previously taught and tutored one of the boys. She was additionally accused of giving both of them marijuana.

During the trial, a psychiatrist testified that the defendant has been treated for mental illness since the age of 13. The psychiatrist also said she had been raped in the past and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result. In addition, she has been diagnosed with a long list of mental health conditions, including major depression, bipolar disorder, dissociative identity disorder and borderline personality disorder. Due to these issues, the psychiatrist claimed that the defendant is unable to curb impulsive behaviors. Because criminal sexual assault is a class 1 felony, Illinois state law mandates that the defendant must serve at least 85% of her sentence before she is eligible for parole.

Sexual assault charges can lead to harsh consequences for those who are convicted, including incarceration, supervised release and inclusion on the sex offender registry. Because the situation is so serious, defendants may wish to contact a criminal defense attorney familiar with sex offenses as soon as possible. Legal counsel might be able to develop a strong defense to the accusations and help protect the defendant's future.