Former teacher accused of sex with student pleads guilty to charges

Marissa Alter

A former JCPS middle school teacher pleaded guilty to rape, sodomy, and sex abuse charges involving her student.

Jessica Boyers appeared in Jefferson Circuit Court Friday morning and received a 10 year sentence. It came one day after she got 12 years for a plea deal on similar charges in Oldham County.

In court, Boyers showed no expression as she admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 13 year old boy from February 2013 to April 2013. Those facts came to light when police found her and the teen engaged in sexual contact in a car in Buechel Park. At the time, Boyers was 24 years old and a language arts teacher at Highland Middle School. JCPS put her on non-instructional duty immediately, but she later resigned.

Boyers was charged in Oldham County, as well, since that was where she lived then.

Both cases were settled together with Boyers pleading guilty in Oldham County Thursday and Jefferson County Friday morning. Both sentences will run at the same time.

Her attorney, Keith Kamenish, said there are no winners in this case.

“Whenever you have a teacher, and there’s an allegation of misconduct with a student, those are probably the saddest cases. I think the overall outcome was just a balanced approach on what to do with Miss Boyers under the circumstances of the case and to set the appropriate punishment,” Kamenish stated.

Boyers will be eligible for parole after serving 20 percent of her total sentence. That’s a little more than two years.

“That’s on the condition, of course, that she is a model inmate, which I think she will be, and that she complete the sex offender treatment program,” said Kamenish.

Boyers will be officially sentenced in May. Once out of prison, she’ll also have to go on the sex offender registry and comply with all the guidelines.

Source: wlky