Woman Gets 20 Years for Sex with Stepson

(Tyler, Texas) A 39-year-old woman and small business owner, Carla Kay Dinger, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting her stepson. Dinger had an ongoing sexual relationship with the boy, presumably without her husband's knowledge, during his 14th through 16th year and, subsequently, became pregnant. She gave birth to a son who is now six years old. Ultimately, the boy told his mother who alerted the police.

From the Tyler Morning Telegraph:

In 1998, when he was 14, he moved from out of state where he was living with his mother, to reside with Ms. Dinger and his father, who had married when he was 10.

He said he and Ms. Dinger had an ongoing sexual relationship when he was ages 14 through 16. Testimony and earlier statements were conflicting whether the affair lasted 1 and 1/2 years or 2 and 1/2 years.

Ms. Dinger often took the victim to her Tyler medical equipment business, where they had sex about 50 times, he testified. He said he would skip school to stay with her at work and they also had intercourse in her vehicle, at their house and at an apartment she rented out for that purpose - up to 100 times throughout the relationship.

The victim said she also supplied him with alcohol and methamphetamine frequently. He said he had never done drugs before Ms. Dinger gave them to him, adding that she also gave meth to some of her employees.

Alcohol, methamphetamine, and a lot of sex in a lot of places is far from being a normal parent-child relationship and a Smith County jury demonstrated its disapproval by sending Dinger to prison for a long time. She was also assessed a $10,000 fine.

Dinger's stepson, now 22, is suing her for monetary damages ostensibly claiming psychological trauma. Apparently, he developed a heroin habit at some point in time and overdosed, causing a hearing impairment.

Defense attorney, Scrappy Holmes, said Dinger is trying to turn her life around by attending church and going to counseling. Unfortunately, I believe that church and counseling can't cure stupidity. On the other hand, she will have 20 years in the slammer to hit the books which might help. (H/T Don Morgenstern)