Woman Sentenced for Sex with Hospitalized Friend's Son, 13

(Harris County, Texas)

A jury has returned a guilty verdict in the trial of a woman accused of carrying on a sexual relationship with her best friend’s teenage son for years.

Karen Lee Carstens, 43, was charged with sexual assault of a child.

The teen boy said the relationship began with his mother’s friend when he was only 13 years old and ended when he was 15. He said it began as touching, then progressed to sex, according to documents.

The boy described a couple of the encounters to investigators, particularly those which happened over a three-month period when his mother was in and out of the hospital due to a gallbladder infection.

He said on May 15, 2009, he and Carstens were lying on a sofa bed and watching television when they started to have sex. He said he cried after it was over, fearing that he had gotten her pregnant, but she reassured him that all would be well.

Another time when his mom was in the hospital, around June 15 the same year, he and Carstens allegedly had sex in his upstairs bedroom.

Carstens moved out of the state shortly after that encounter, ending their relationship.

Today (5/1/14), Carstens was sentenced to five years probation.

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Woman Accused of Sex with Hospitalized Friend's Son, 13
[Previous 5/3/12 post]
(Harris County, Texas) A 41-year-old Maryland woman, Karen Lee Carstens, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old boy, the son of a hospitalized friend.

Carstens faces a charge of sexual assault of a child under 17.

Police say the victim said Carstens told him not to tell anyone about their sexual relationship because she could get into trouble.

The affair began when Carstens volunteered to look after the 13-year-old boy while his mother was being treated in a Houston hospital.

The boy told investigators that when the relationship began it involved just touching her breasts and genitals, but progressed to oral sex.

The court documents revealed the concerns of the teen that he would get Carstens pregnant.

He described one encounter where he suggested anal sex as a way for them to avoid pregnancy. She at first refused but then allowed the teen to do it.

The affair ended in 2009 when Carstens moved away from the Houston area.

Carstens was arrested yesterday in Maryland. She is being detained without bail and awaits transfer to Texas.