Louisiana Teacher Gets Plea Deal in Sex Case - Update

Ashley Elizabeth Dowden
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

Ashley Dowden, the former Baton Rouge teacher who was found guilty of having sexual relationships with two male students, has received a plea deal that will keep her out of prison, according to East Baton Rouge Parish court documents.

Instead of prison time, she received seven years of probation and was ordered to register as a sex offender.

Dowden, 42 and a former English teacher at Riverdale Christian Academy, confessed to having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy in August 2014.

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Louisiana Teacher, 41, and Boy, 16
[Previous 8/23/14 post]
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) A 41-year-old local woman, Ashley Elizabeth Dowden, has been arrested for engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy.

Dowden faces counts of computer aided solicitation of a juvenile, indecent behavior with juveniles, and carnal knowledge of juveniles.

The teen, who does not attend the school where the woman is employed, was questioned by deputies on Aug. 16.

"…He admitted that he had sexual intercourse with [his teacher] at [the] school…," the deputy noted.

Deputies recovered nude photographs of the woman, Ashley Elizabeth Dowden, as well as sexually explicit text messages. Deputies interviewed Dowden on Thursday, Aug. 21.

"Initially, [Dowden] made the post Miranda statements that the allegations were not true," the deputy noted. "However, the accused admitted that she had sex with the victim and she exchanged nude photographs and sexually explicit messages with him, after she was confronted with the images that were recovered from his phone."

Dowden was booked into custody at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and released on $15,000 bond.