December 30, 2009 12:50 PM

Ashley Jo Beach, Middle School Teacher, Sentenced to 20 Years for Seducing 13-Year-Old Student

By
Carlin DeGuerin Miller
Topics
Daily Blotter
(KBCI)
(KBCI)
BOISE, Idaho (CBS) Ashley Jo Beach expressed her remorse and apologized to her family and community for breaking their trust before she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her relationship with a 13-year-old boy.

Photo: Ashley Jo Beach in court Dec. 29.

Meridian, Idaho police say back in September, Beach, a 38-year-old middle school teacher, was caught in the bushes with the teen, a former student.

"The trust that I destroyed with my family and the community haunts me daily," Beach said in court, Dec. 29, according to CBS affiliate KBCI.

Photo: Ashley Jo Beach and husband Shawn Beach in his and hers booking photos.

Prosecutors said Beach had targeted the boy from their first contact in April when he was only 12.

"She began grooming him when he was in 6th grade and she was his teacher," said Jean Fisher, the prosecuting attorney. "The grooming was methodical and it was calculated."

During the course of the investigation against Ashley Jo Beach, her husband, Shawn Beach, was also arrested. Prosecutors say Shawn Beach, a former employee of the Ada County Sheriff's office, took naked photos of female inmates in the Ada County Jail and sent them to his wife.

They say he was jealous of his wife's affair with the boy and wanted to strike back at her. He is facing charges of video voyeurism.

Prosecutor Fisher said Ashley Jo Beach bought the boy shoes and clothes and admitted she loved and needed the boy who she called the "light of her life."

She also wanted him to mow her lawn and babysit her three children, according to prosecutors.

Beach has admitted the relationship lasted over the summer and that they even had sex in her classroom with the door locked.

In court, Beach's attorney, John Meienhofer, said she would be best served by treatment, not prison.

"She's not a pedophile," he argued. "She's remorseful and she's gained insight."

Judge Ronald Wilper disagreed. "You cashed in your family, your husband and your children, your reputation," he said. "And you did this for the sake of lust."

Wilper sentenced her to 20 years in prison with possibility of parole in four years.

Add a Comment See all 27 Comments
by Delgado100 July 20, 2010 4:30 AM EDT
I don't want to write about the case mof Ashley, because my opinion is she is guilty for having sex only, but although it was with young boy, the judge felt crazy to sentence her for 20 years. This opinion I presented also on badbadteacher server and the result is "permission denied". It's a democracy? During the years under the soviet occupation of my country and the totalitarism was your state an example of democracy, human rights etc. but now I'm not so sure. I feel a disillusion. I'm sorry for troubling you by my feelings, but I had to write this.
Reply to this comment
by weroieworfho January 3, 2010 10:19 PM EST
GOOD! Women need to get just as much time in jail for having sex with underage boys, as men do for sex with underage girls. I'm sick of seeing women commit indecent acts and get off with a slap on the butt (um, I mean slap on the wrist). The famous "Balloon Boy" story has the father going to jail for 90 days, but the wife only gets 20 days? I don't get it. Stop letting women get away with stuff. I'm glad this teacher is getting some serious jail time. THAT'S WHAT YOU GET, ASHLEY JO BlTCH!
Reply to this comment
by weroieworfho January 3, 2010 10:18 PM EST
GOOD! Women need to get just as much time in jail for having sex with underage boys, as men do for sex with underage girls. I'm sick of seeing women commit indecent acts and get off with a slap on the butt (um, I mean slap on the wrist). The famous "Balloon Boy" story has the father going to jail for 90 days, but the wife only gets 20 days? I don't get it. Stop letting women get away with stuff. I'm glad this teacher is getting some serious jail time. THAT'S WHAT YOU GET, ASHLEY JO *****!
Reply to this comment
by steve247530 January 2, 2010 8:44 PM EST
Why is this woman going to jail? Can you say "Debbie Lafave"? Only thing I can figure out is that Ashleys not pretty enough to stay out of jail. Not very funny,but true. Why is Debbie Lafave walking the streets??
Reply to this comment
by Skruffy1 December 31, 2009 12:21 PM EST
Quite a pair this husband/wife team is. Maybe not the best use of taxpayer money to support them in lock-up, but please, please, please... sterilize them both so they don't spawn.
Reply to this comment
by bubbadubba December 31, 2009 12:11 PM EST
I think that is called child sex slavery isn't it especially the part about making him mow the grass and babysit?
Reply to this comment
by Brokennews December 31, 2009 10:54 AM EST
Life's a Beach, isn't it Ashley.
Reply to this comment
by jackp32 December 31, 2009 9:06 AM EST
The broader issue is eligibility for parole after serving 4 yrs. of a 20 yr. sentence. Is this what justice in Idaho consists of? Do the same standards apply to rapists, kidnappers, and murderers after they serve only 25% of their sentence? Wow! "Go to Idaho to do the crime because you don't do the time."
Reply to this comment
by newsterl January 2, 2010 11:55 AM EST
" by jackp32
The broader issue is eligibility for parole after serving 4 yrs. of a 20 yr. sentence. Is this what justice in Idaho consists of? "

Victimless crime, I'm sure the kid was "forced" big time;

Beach has admitted the relationship lasted over the summer and that they even had s3x in her classroom with the door locked."

I dont know of any teen boys who wouldnt jump at that opportunity, it was hardly forced, he was doing her all summer and went back for MORE.
by formrusmcsgt December 31, 2009 6:55 AM EST
"She's not a pedophile"
---
Her attorney must not have passed the bar.

And the husband is as daffy as she is. Sending pics of nude inmates to get her to stop cheating on him? What a moron.

If he had any pride he'd have ditched the sorry ***** in a nanosecond instead of playing picture games.
Reply to this comment
by kamsack50 December 31, 2009 5:41 AM EST
Notice that though the sentence is 20 years, eligibility for parole is in 4 years - parole which she'll get no doubt. Judge knows it, everybody knows it. So, he had to sentence her to 20 years to make sure she serves 4.
Then the guy - he'll be 17 then - if he likes her, they can get married just like Mary kay Letourneau. Then she can go on The View and get nice soft strokes from Barbara and maybe get a book going.
Only thing is, this has been done so many times by so many women over the years that it might not be the shocker best seller it could have been in the old days before feminism.
But anyway, people, she'll be okay. Don't worry about her too much.
Reply to this comment
See all 27 Comments
.

Follow Crimesider

Scroll Left
Scroll Right More »
48 Hours New iPad app A perfect companion to TV's most popular true-crime series.
CBS News on Facebook