Georgia Teacher Gets Prison in Sex Case - Updated

(Coweta County, Georgia) An interesting update to the Shannon Schmieder story. Coweta Judicial Circuit Senior Assistant District Attorney Kevin McMurry weighed in.

“The state of Georgia has very strict sentences against child molestation. When I was negotiating this sentence, I treated her like I would a male perpetrator. We believe that children deserve to be protected. This woman groomed and enticed a young boy she knew from birth to engage in these sexual acts. I crafted the sentence to take these things into account. We want to send a message that this will not be tolerated. I actually reduced the charge from aggravated child molestation – which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years — to child molestation – with a maximum of 20 years — but wanted to ensure she would still receive a harsh sentence which recognized the life-long impact and damage done to this child. Children are important and they deserve to be protected. She abused her position and the trust bestowed on her from the family and she had to be punished for this.”

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Georgia Teacher Gets Prison in Sex Case
[Previous 12/15/12 post]
(Coweta County, Georgia) A former teacher assistant at Jefferson Parkway Elementary School, Shannon Alicia Schmieder, pleaded guilty to engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy.

As a result, Schmieder was sentenced by Coweta Superior Court Judge Jack Kirby to "40 years in prison, to serve 20."

The 14-year-old male victim was not a student at Jefferson Parkway.

Authorities learned of the alleged sexual abuse after the victim's parents discovered suspicious messages on their son's computer and brought the computer to the Coweta County Sheriff's Office.

A forensic investigation of the computer uncovered more computer messages that showed an explicit sexual relationship had occurred between the teen and the teacher's assistant.

There's only one thing to say about the sentence -- OUCH!