A substitute teacher who had sex with a 17 year-old boy at his house and in a park has avoided jail. Loryn Barclay was handed a three year suspended prison sentence Monday after striking a plea deal which saw her admit harassment of a person under the age of 17.
That deal saw far more serious charges of felony sexual contact dropped. Barclay, of Monnet in Missouri, had sexual intercourse with the boy at his home on two occasions during the fall and winter of 2016.
She also performed oral sex on him in a park. The youngster was 17 at the time – the age of consent in Missouri – but the state has a law forbidding adults having sex with teenagers who they hold a position of authority over.
Barclay had sex with the boy months after being hired as a substitute teacher in Monett, which saw her cover absences in schools during the fall semester. She was hired as a full-time teaching assistant in January 2017, but her employment was terminated after allegations against her emerged five months later, the Springfield News-Leader reported.
During a probable cause hearing in August 2018, the court was told how the boy had shown an interest in Barclay, and initiated contact with her.
The pair then began exchanging text messages, and bonded ‘over hobbies and mutual interests.’
They flirted for a week, before the boy asked Barclay if they could begin to see one another outside school, the Joplin Globe reported.
The illegal relationship was exposed after police were tipped off, with Barclay also now ordered to complete three years probation.
