Former Puyallup teacher convicted of having sex with student

A former Puyallup teacher was sentenced to six months of house arrest after pleading guilty last year to three counts of first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor — one of her students.

According to The Tacoma News Tribune, the teacher, Lindsey Westerfield, 31, pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor in 2019 while teaching at Cascade Christian High School.

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Two of the sexual encounters took place after the student turned 18, as the Tribune reported. The teacher and student communicated on the social media platform Snapchat and met at each other's homes, never on school grounds.

The then-18-year-old student told investigators, according to the Tribune, that he had an emotional relationship with Westerfield. The student's father told police the relationship began and ended several times and at one point the victim dropped out of college to find a job to support himself.

Washington's age of consent laws require public school employees five years older than their students not to have sex with students until they turn 21.

Puyallup detectives began investigating her in 2019, but the case stalled until 2022, when investigators learned Westerfield was seeking employment with the state's charter school commission. The victim later disclosed new details to authorities after learning she had been fired, according to court documents acquired by The Tacoma News Tribune.

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Westerfield must undergo treatment for 54 months and register as a sex offender for 10 years. He is prohibited from holding a job supervising minors under the age of 13.

She had no previous criminal convictions.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and email him here.