Nationwide — Shelby Dawn Lashombe, a white teacher from Waco, Texas, has avoided a felony conviction and a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty to having sexual encounters with two 16-year-old boys. Instead, the 25-year-old former Valley Mills High School teacher received six years of deferred probation, a $1,000 fine, four weekends in jail, and 60 days of county prisoner work detail. The sentence came despite the charges being second-degree felonies that can carry up to 20 years in prison.
According to KPTV, a judge approved the plea agreement Friday in McLennan County, ending a case that also included two sexual assault of a child charges. The district attorney’s office dismissed those charges as part of the agreement. Judge Thomas West of the 19th State District Court then placed Lashombe on deferred probation, meaning she can avoid a final felony conviction if she follows the conditions set by the court. Her four jail weekends and work-detail requirement are the main periods of confinement included in the sentence.
The two teenagers were both 16 when the sexual encounters occurred. Neither boy was enrolled in Lashombe’s class at the time, although she had previously taught at West High School and Midway schools and knew one of the boys from her time at West, her attorney Cody Cleveland said. Cleveland argued that the teenagers contacted Lashombe through social media and that she did not use her authority as a teacher to pressure them into the encounters. That explanation was part of the defense’s argument for the plea agreement.
Investigators began looking into Lashombe after receiving a tip that she had been seen kissing a 16-year-old boy. During an interview, the teenager told a detective that he and Lashombe had sex more than once and that she knew he was below the age of consent. Arrest documents said Lashombe acknowledged the relationship and told investigators they had been seeing each other for about six months. She also admitted having sex with another boy who was younger than 17. She resigned from Valley Mills High School after the allegations became public and later surrendered her teaching certification. She now works for a furniture retailer in Waco.
The hearing also brought conflicting accounts about how the encounters affected one of the teenagers. His father told the judge that the boy was doing well in school and football, had been accepted to several universities, and was receiving counseling. He said his son was thriving, did not consider himself a victim, and did not want Lashombe to go to prison or become a convicted felon. The teenager’s mother described a very different situation. She said her son developed depression and anxiety, became withdrawn from family members, wanted to change schools, stopped attending Catholic Mass and skipped his high school prom. She accused Lashombe of betraying the trust placed in her as an educator.
Lashombe’s therapist, Gabrielle White, also urged the court to consider her progress during a year of counseling. White testified that Lashombe had been diagnosed with adjustment disorders, anxiety and depression, and experienced PTSD symptoms after spending about eight hours in jail following her arrest. She said Lashombe had matured and was committed to continuing weekly counseling. Judge West said testimony from the teenager’s father and Lashombe’s therapist affected his decision on the sentence. The result leaves Lashombe without a final felony conviction as long as she completes probation, despite the serious charges originally filed against her.