Educator Kathryn Parmley Gets Jail in Sex Case

(Farmington, Utah) In October 2006, a speech and language pathologist for the Davis County School District, Kathryn Louise Parmley, was summoned to court to face charges that she engaged in sex with a 17-year-old boy.

The boy dated Parmley's daughter before allegedly having sex with the mother and, interestingly, Parmley is married to a deputy prosecutor in adjacent Weber County.

Parmley was charged with two third-degree felony counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old in incidents occurring between September 2005 and June 2006.

Today, 49-year-old Parmley pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery in accordance with a plea bargain.

Second District Judge Jon Memmott imposed two years in jail on the misdemeanor counts, but suspended one year and ordered that Kathryn Parmley be allowed work release and treatment release privileges during the time she is in jail.

The judge said he was "very concerned" that Parmley did not appear to have fully taken responsibility for what occurred between her, then age 48, and the high school boy. Referring to a pre-sentence report and a psycho-sexual evaluation, Memmott said it seems Parmley "substantially minimized what took place" and tends to "shift the blame to the victim."

The judge accepted a recommendation from Adult Probation and Parole that Parmley get treatment along with a polygraph test so that she acknowledges what exactly occurred and her role in it. Otherwise, Memmott said, the information he has indicates Parmley is at an "elevated risk" of doing something like this again.

So, even though Parmley tends to blame the victim and is at an elevated risk of re-offending, she won't be required to register as a sex offender. Odd? I think so.

Nonetheless, the prosecutor and the boy's family reluctantly agreed to the plea deal. The boy's mother continues to be upset that Parmely didn't admit to all she did, stating that her son has changed dramatically.

"Over the last year, he has struggled," the mother said. "We trusted her with our son. This was a betrayal of that trust." The victim's mother said her son has changed from being happy-go-lucky to withdrawn, has shown frequent outbursts of temper, and feels guilty and blames himself for what occurred.

Parmley said she was sorry and hopes the best for the boy.

Tip: Don Morgenstern