An Idaho instructor was imprisoned after having sex with a teenager and forcing him to drive her home while intoxicated.

A former Idaho schoolteacher was given a prison sentence for sexual assault and violence on a juvenile, who was adopted by a local family a few days prior to the crime.

Jessica Lawson, 36, agreed to a plea agreement to reduce her charges of criminal sexual assault and felony rape of a minor.

After the 16-year-old kid was allegedly given marijuana and alcohol, she was previously charged with felony transportation of a controlled substance and misdemeanor dispensing alcohol to a minor; however, those charges were withdrawn as part of the agreement.

Teaching at South Fremont High School from August 2021 to June 2023, Lawson faces two to twenty years in prison and must register as a sexual offender in addition to undergoing sex education classes.

On the morning of November 6, 2023, a Saint Anthony Police Department officer stopped Lawson’s car because her taillights were not visible.

Lawson, who was too “drunk to drive,” gave the teen lad the keys, which is how the police discovered him driving.

After Lawson gave the youngster some marijuana, which he acknowledged using, the officer drove the boy home.

Later that week, Lawson was taken into custody when the child informed his parents that she had picked him up that evening and said that they had consumed wine and smokes prior to engaging in sexual activity.

When Lawson phoned the teen’s parents, he acknowledged giving him beer and picking him up, but he denied that “anything else had occurred,” referring to the teen’s alleged drug and sexual abuse. The teenager’s parents, who had just recently adopted him, stated that even though their son may not have fully understood what was going on, he will still have to cope with the consequences of Lawson’s transgression for years to come.

According to East Idaho News, the father told the court, “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.”

The teen’s mother also attested that because of his stay in the foster care system, he finds it difficult to distinguish between settings that are safe and those that are not.

“We brought [my kid] in because he was alone and in need of someone.We quickly came to the conclusion that this is a fantastic child who belongs in our family, the mother testified in court.

“He’s got a lot of issues because his parents didn’t teach him how to identify trustworthy people.” And you used that. She was aware that she might obtain something from him.