Shelby Dawn Lashombe, a 25-year-old former teacher and coach at Valley Mills High School, was sentenced Friday in Waco’s 19th State District Court to six years of deferred probation and a $1,000 fine. Judge Thomas West also ordered four weekends in jail and 60 days on a county prisoner work detail. Lashombe pleaded guilty in April to two counts of improper relationship between educator and student. Two counts of sexual assault of a child were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
The two boys were 16 at the time and attended West and Axtell high schools, not Lashombe’s classes. She admitted to a detective that she knew the first boy was under the age of consent and had been seeing him for six months. Testimony from one victim’s father, who told the court his son is thriving and does not feel victimized, along with a therapist’s input, factored into the judge’s decision not to impose more jail time. One victim’s mother, however, described the conduct as predatory.
Under the terms of deferred probation, Lashombe will not have a final felony conviction and, if she complies with all conditions, will not be required to register as a sex offender. Her attorney said she is glad to avoid both. She has resigned from the district, surrendered her teaching certification, and now works at a furniture retailer in Waco. Do you think deferred probation should be an option in cases like this?
