Though former Cincinnati Bengal cheerleader Sarah Jones pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual misconduct, with some people referring to her as the "Female Version of Jerry Sandusky", she left the courtroom with her victim-turned fiancé planning a future, as reported by the Examiner.
The prosecution did not pursue a no-contact order between the victim and Jones, 27, as the victim is now 18. At the time of the sexual incidents, the victim was 17 and a student of Jones' at Dixie Heights High School in KY.
Jones admitted, "I began a romantic relationship while he was a student and I was in a position of authority. Our romantic relationship included voluminous phone calls and text messages. I sent sexually explicit text messages to (the victim) when he was a student. I had sexual contact including sexual intercourse with (the student) in Kenton County, Kentucky, while he was a student and I was a teacher."
Jones was originally charged with first-degree sexual abuse and unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited acts, a felony. If she had been found guilty she would have faced a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Instead, Jones pleaded guilty – in return for a lesser charge as part of a deal with the prosecution – a few days before her trial was scheduled to start. The deal required that she plead guilty to felony custodial interference and misdemeanor sexual misconduct.
A stipulation in the plea was that Jones could never teach or coach children again.
In November of last year, Jones had already resigned from her position at Dixie Heights.
Jones was sentenced to a 2-year diversion program and five years of probation by Kenton County Circuit Judge Patricia Summe. She will not be required to serve any time in prison. After five years Jones may petition the court to have her felony expunged.
Sara Farmer, the prosecutor in the case, said, "We feel that it is a just and it is a fair result. It's certainly difficult when a victim and his family don't cooperate by not providing information, but it makes our case a lot harder when they're actually proactive for a defendant, and in this case, the family was more than supportive of the Jones (family). They were proactive for them."
The victim, now 18 and a graduate of Dixie Heights, was present during Jones' sentencing. Reporters allege that the two, holding hands as they exited the courtroom, plan to marry very soon.
Prosecutors had agreed not to ask that Jones' be barred from contacting the victim, as he is now an adult in the eyes of the law. Attorney Eric Deters, in representing Jones said that the bond between the two was "was more than about school. They were friends."
Any type of criminal charges, small or large, requires that you contact a criminal defense attorney. From entering your plea, to your sentencing, you attorney is there to represent your best interests.
