In Santa Ana, California, opening statements are expected in the jury trial of a female band teacher at El Modena High School charged with having a sexual relationship with a male student that began when he was 15.
Carlie Rose Attebury, 31, of Orange is charged with seven felonies, including two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, one count of lewd acts with a minor and one count of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. She faces a potential seven-year prison term if convicted on all counts, plus mandatory registration for life as a sex offender.
Orange County Deputy District Attorney Katherine David accuses Attebury of having sex on numerous occasions with the boy, who was a member of the band, at her home in Orange between February and September 2008. Her defense attorney said Attebury denies sexual contact with the student.
Attebury is accused of meeting the 15-year-old student while working at El Modena High School as the band director and gaining the trust of the victim and his family by befriending them, including having dinner at their home. The defendant is accused of manipulating the victim's emotions by telling him she loved him and talking about marriage and a future together, and exchanging hundreds of text messages with the victim, some of which were sexually explicit, prosecutors said.
She allegedly had her first illegal sexual contact with the victim by kissing the boy in her classroom on campus in November 2007, and then followed that up with a string of sexual trysts in her home. In June 2008, Attebury went to the Orange Police Department to report that she was the victim of an extortion attempt by a former El Modena High School student, who threatened to report her for sexual misconduct with other students if she did not pay him $3,500 and send him sexually explicit photos of herself.
Miguel Lopez, the former student, pleaded guilty to one felony count of extortion in August 2009 and was sentenced to three years of probation. In October 2008, parent booster club members contacted the school principal after becoming alarmed by inappropriate behavior observed between Attebury and the 15-year-old student, prosecutors said.
On one occasion, Attebury allegedly sat behind the teenager in the bleachers at a school event, straddled him with her legs and caressed his hair in view of parents and other students, according to prosecutors. The principal contacted Orange Police, who launched the investigation that resulted in Attebury's arrest.
California takes sex crimes very seriously and the courts will severely punish those convicted of one. Fines, jail time or a record as a sex offender are all possible consequences of a conviction. Mandatory registration in a sex offender registry is also a serious result of a conviction.
If you have been arrested or under investigation for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, our attorneys have a long history of success in all Los Angeles County Courts. It’s critical that you consult an experienced sex crimes criminal defense lawyer immediately. At Cron, Israels and Stark, sex crimes criminal defense attoneys Steve Cron and Philip Israels have decades of experience in sex crimes and lewd acts with a minor criminal defense. When you call our law office, you will speak to a skilled Los Angeles and Santa Monica sex crimes with a minor criminal defense attorney who will explain your legal rights and your best options. Our number one priority is making sure that you walk away from court with your freedom intact!
For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your sex crimes with a minor criminal charges with one of our lawyers, please contact Cron, Israels and Stark today.