Fresno Criminal Lawyer Blog

The news media is reporting another alleged incident of a teacher who is charged with having sex with an underage student at a Fresno school.

The Fresno Bee reports that the 26-year-old female teacher is charged with having sex and oral copulation with a 14-year-old student.

Sadly, this isn't a new allegation and has happened in Fresno before. Not that long ago in July, the Fresno Criminal Lawyer Blog reported on a former University High School teacher who was sent to prison for seven years after being convicted of having a sexual relationship with a student and sending explicit sexual text messages to two others.

Sex crimes in Fresno can range from sending inappropriate photos to underage recipients, to fondling and rape. As with the severity of the allegations, the penalties can vary as well. A person can be saddled with as little as probation time or up to years in prison if they are convicted. A conviction most certainly will ruin any chance at continuing in his or her job and possibly in that career path.

But a conviction doesn't have to happen. An experienced Fresno criminal defense lawyer who has spent years standing beside and fighting for sex crimes defendants can use those skills to defend people who are falsely accused or whom the state has insufficient evidence against in its pursuit of convictions.

According to the newspaper report, a teacher was investigated recently for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old student two years ago. The alleged crimes took place in January and February of 2009 when the woman was a substitute teacher. She has since become a full-time social sciences teacher at the high school.

The newspaper states that a deputy was sent to the school to open an investigation and a day later, the teacher was arrested. She has since posted bail and is on administrative leave at the school.

This is a difficult situation for the state because the allegations are from more than two years ago, so there is likely no physical evidence that could corroborate the teen's story. And after two years, there probably are no witnesses who could support the teen's side of the events who wouldn't have come forward sooner.

So, what you probably have here is a classic "he said/she said" battle between an adult and a teenager. What should be noted here is that the teenager's mind, specifically the male teenager's mind, isn't fully developed. He likely hasn't fully realized the full consequences of his actions, such as lying.

Teenagers are exposed to all kinds of information, especially through their constant use of the Internet. Even a false accusation in a sex case can lead to a conviction and, in some cases, a civil penalty against the defendant if a lawsuit is filed. Without thinking of what this could do to the teacher, a teenage student must go through the scrutiny of questioning by a defense attorney just like any other witness. If there are problems with his story, they will be exposed.