Teacher Darcie Esson Guilty in Sex Case

(Glenwood Springs, Colorado) In December 2006, a 32-year-old English teacher at Elizabeth High School, Darcie Esson, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 17-year-old male student. Authorities were alerted after the student reportedly bragged about having sex with Esson in a Glenwood Springs hotel room.

At the time, Esson was going through a divorce and had her two children, ages 4 and 8, plus a babysitter in the hotel room with her. The three kids were believed to be asleep when the student entered the room in the early morning hours to have sex with Esson. The babysitter allegedly saw the boy enter the room and the following morning found a used condom on the floor of the bathroom.

Subsequently, Esson was charged with sexual assault of a child by a person in a position of trust. She was released on bond and later hired high-profile attorney, Pamela Mackey, who previously represented LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant in his frenzied celebrity rape case.

Yesterday, Darcie Esson, now 33, pleaded guilty before District Judge Denise Lynch to engaging in sex with the boy.

Esson had been charged with two counts of sexual assault on a child ages 15-17 while in a position of trust, and one count of sexual abuse on a child in a position of trust as a pattern of abuse. She pleaded guilty to a single count of sexual assault on a child ages 15-17 while in a position of trust, and the other two charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

Esson faces mandatory lifetime parole supervision, but any time in prison will be up to Lynch, who noted that convictions of such offenses carry a possible indeterminate sentence up to life.

Consequently, it's up to Judge Lynch to determine Esson's punishment, if any, at sentencing, currently scheduled for August 16th. Remaining unexplained in the Esson case is the status of new charges reportedly filed against her last month.

Interestingly, attorney Mackey objected during yesterday's proceedings when Deputy District Attorney Amy Fitch read the "factual basis" of Esson's offense, detailing the activities in the hotel room.

"This has nothing to do with the elements (of the crime)," Mackey said "The press is in the courtroom."

Apparently, shining the light of day on the details of the crime is not beneficial to the defense.


[12/14/07]

Esson sentenced to 90 days in jail.