Florida high school teacher arrested and charged with having sex with her student

Caroline Lawson, a 29-year-old Florida high school teacher was arrested at her home in Tampa in the early morning hours of November 3 and charged with having sex with one of her underage male students.  Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said that Lawson had sexual intercourse with one of her 17-year-old students and that the sex was consensual and unprotected, according to Fox News. Lawson was teaching English at Earl J. Lenard High School in Ruskin during the time she and her student engaged in that extracurricular sexual activity.

 

WFTS in Tampa Bay reported that the sexual encounter between the two took place at Lawson’s apartment in Tampa.  Deputies in Hillsborough County said that Lawson had the student at her apartment on November 1 around 5 p.m.  “While in the apartment, the two engaged in consensual sex, according to the arrest affidavit. The report notes that the two did not use a condom.”

Fox13 News shared more of that arrest affidavit which detailed text messages sent between Lawson and a third party later that evening which described the liaison with her student.  Lawson’s texts read:

“I cheated on jameson … with a student”.

The third party asked, “When you say cheated, do you mean slept with?”

Lawson replied: “Yes.”

“Jameson” was Lawson’s fiance’.  Investigators met with the student the day after his sexual rendezvous with Lawson.  The teen confessed to having sexual intercourse with his teacher.  The student provided authorities with Lawson’s name and age. On Friday, Hillsborough County Public Schools confirmed that Lawson has resigned from her teaching position at Earl J. Lenard High School.  The school system and also said that they were cooperating fully with the investigation into Lawson’s case.

“We are deeply disappointed by these charges. The safety of our students is our top priority. We are working with law enforcement as they investigate. This employee has resigned her position with the district,” the district told ABC Action News.

Lawson was arrested in her Tampa apartment on Friday morning around 3 a.m. She was charged with two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.  She was transported and booked into the Hillsborough County jail.  If convicted, she could be looking at 15 years behind bars.

By 8 a.m. on Friday morning, Lawson was released from jail after posting a $30,000 bond.  Lawson had been with the Hillsborough County Public School since 2014.  More information regarding Lawson is available in the video below.

https://youtu.be/JY8Ntj34OGo

Written by:  Ace News Today Staff