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Tears Punctuate Not Guilty Plea Save Email Print
Former teacher linked to sex with teen
35 comments
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A former heartland teacher broke down in court Thursday before a federal judge took the bench. Kelsey Peterson began crying as the criminal indictment against her was read.

Peterson is charged with transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in sex. It carries a mandatory minimum 10 year sentence if she's convicted.

Peterson pleaded not guilty.

She's accused of having a sexual relationship with 13-year-old Fernando Rodriquez and taking him to Mexico.

Peterson is being held without bond.

Her defense attorney has requested a psychiatric evaluation for the former Lexington teacher. The 25-year-old Peterson has been fired from her teaching job.
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Posted by: MOTHER on Dec 3, 2007 at 09:21 AM
To all of you, who are making racist, ridicoulous comments. Do you people have a 14 year old son? PROBABLY NOT! because if you did you would be CRYING OUT JUSTICE! To Jane I, know you don't have children to make such a comment like that. GROW UP
Posted by: DB on Nov 30, 2007 at 06:48 PM
I never thought I'd live to see the day where having sex with a minor would be compared in the same light as not wearing my seatbelt. In that case, we need to set up a registry and make the entire neighborhood aware when somebody who doesn't wear their seatbelt moves into your neighborhood.
Posted by: Sheri on Nov 30, 2007 at 04:23 PM
Jane, I will be sure to keep my minor children away from you just in case you make a "Bad Decision". Sure, once and a while we have all made a "bad decision", you know, like littering. Never NEVER could I add SEX WITH A MINOR to my list of "bad decisions". That is simply DISGUSTING!!!!!
Posted by: Steve on Nov 30, 2007 at 03:14 PM
Jane: I assume you're not talking about my piece, even though I judged the article, not the suspect. But I do take issue with your comments. Like it or not, society MUST be judgmental in order for justice to be served. If we had no people that judged this sort of behavior, we'd have no order in society; and this sort of thing would be so commonplace we'd become numb to it. As it stands, however, we have a healthy community where people are not only encouraged but EXPECTED to hold society to a high standard. As for the JMD comment, I'm glad we have at least one prominent, local defense attorney that can represent his accused clients with zeal.
Posted by: joe on Nov 30, 2007 at 02:38 PM
I agree with Jane, don't judge this teachers actions. This was nothing more than a sex education "field trip". She went above and beyond the call of duty, by traveling all the way to MEXICO to obtain the parents signatures on the permission slip.
Posted by: roy on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:42 PM
I just don't get it, she couldn't find a person closer to her age. I beleive she has been embarrased enough. She got dumped by a 14 year old
Posted by: Jim on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:36 PM
Dear Jane, I have a life and it is to protect my child from predators like this former teacher. The world has too many perverts preying on children.
Posted by: CS on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:17 PM
Jane - If I don't wear my seat belt, I'd hardly compare that to being a pedophile and engaging in sex with a child. So not a good comparison if you ask me. If this was a man committing this crime, would you have the same comments - or would you critize yourself? Furthermore, I think as an American, I am entitled to my opinion that this type of behavior is unacceptable and should not be tolerated and that Ms. Peterson deserves what she gets. If you call that critism, so be it. I call it accept responsibility for your actions and take your punishment like an adult. A 25 year old woman should no better.
Posted by: SK on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:14 PM
I think this teacher may have done wrong but how do we really know what age he is and yes it does matter a little bit. Also, he has a child that is almost 2 which would make him 11 when he got this other person pregnant it is possible but we just dont know all the facts. I dont think that she took him to mexico to have sex if she was going to have a relationship with him she would have it here which i am sure she did. I would like to know why he was here with out his parents and able to get into our school system and take tax dollars that are not his.... I think they should raid these schools to verify they are here leagally. I also think as parents we are responisble for our children and them "growing up" to fast and acting older than they are... He had no parently supervision and no parent to step in and say this is not going to happen. Neglect on the parents for not being there.
Posted by: A Mom on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:09 PM
My son is 14. If an adult took my son across the street to have sex with him...consentual or not I would be for assual if not murder. He is a child until he is 18. He is an illegal alien because his parents want more for him. I doubt they wanted this much more!!!
Posted by: T on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:06 PM
Jane: Little different situation here as to opposed to not wearing your seatbelt. She took advantage of a 13-yr boy for her own sexual pleasure. Would you be saying these things if this were a 25yr old man sleeping with a 13yr old girl. Of course not, we call him a monster, a sicko and every other name in the book. The behavior is disgusting but everyone (men and women) should be treated the same way, but she won't as most all women in this type of case get a slap on their wrist, because women can't be seen as predators...when the type that commit this type of crime are just that...predators.
Posted by: Frank on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:05 PM
This is not a judgement passed in this case. It is an embarassment to my profession and she deserves the max punishment. I understand people make mistakes, but comparing wearing a seat belt and having sex with and underage child has got to be the dumbest argument I have ever heard. As far as teachers getting paid, the trend has been to reduce raises for teachers (at least at my district). People want to put more and more on teachers and hold them more accountable and that is fine, but pay us the money for it otherwise the number of Kelsey Peterson's in education will rise. As a society, we have got to do what is best for our children and supporting teachers must be priority number one!
Posted by: Tired of It on Nov 30, 2007 at 12:50 PM
If I were to drive drunk across the border while smoking a joint with no intention of harming anyone and I did it by myself, do you think I should be treated any differently than Kelsey?.......All crimes and all punishable by law.
Posted by: MIchelle on Nov 30, 2007 at 12:50 PM
To Jane: driving drunk and not wearing a seat belt is not even a just comparison to what Peterson did. SHE HAD SEX WITH A CHILD!!!!! Now she needs to live up to the consequences of her actions. This was not just a "bad decision", this was a decision she made knowing that he was a CHILD. She needs to face up to her actions, and hopefully she has learned a life changing lesson. If she is a mental case, then getting her off the streets is the best thing. How many other children would she want to have a friendship with that leads to love letters, sex and then disappearing to another country?
Posted by: Jane on Nov 30, 2007 at 12:14 PM
Maybe all of you that are so judgmental should GET A LIFE!!!!! All of us have made bad decisions in life. The only difference is you haven't been caught! For example, how many of you have drove drunk or don't wear your seat belt? Why don't you do something productive or useful(donate your time to a needy cause) instead of criticizing people! Have you ever thought that if you didn't spend so much time giving James Martin Davis publicity....he wouldn't be so 'popular'.
Posted by: kay on Nov 30, 2007 at 11:59 AM
Peterson have some morals plead guilty you were wrong! You broke the law; You broke several laws. Own up to your choices and deal with the consequences that happened because of your choice.
Posted by: CS on Nov 30, 2007 at 11:42 AM
I'd be weepy too if I humiliated myself, my family, and my friends with such bad decisions and pedophile behavior. Time to face the music Miss Ex-Teacher.
Posted by: Jim on Nov 30, 2007 at 11:18 AM
It's a little to late for tears. A 25 year old adult should have known better. Sorry, but now you've got to pay the price for bad decision making.
Posted by: Steve on Nov 30, 2007 at 10:41 AM
I would like to see a full list of charges. The only charge mentioned in this article is "transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in sex." Will be hard to prove that she transported him to have sex. It should be easy, however, to establish their sexual relationship and obviously that she transported him to Mexico. With that said, I hope they are bringing more charges on her than just the one stated in this article. These should be brought against her: Engaging in sex with a minor Illegal transport of a child Kidnapping And there must be some charge for transport of a minor across international boundaries, not to mention state boundaries.
Posted by: Para on Nov 30, 2007 at 09:32 AM
WC, thank you for your pearls of wisdom, although I have to correcto you- paraprofessionals are the most grossly under-paid and under-appreciated professionals in the work force. Many of us do as much as the teachers do, or more and we get paid a fraction of what a teacher receives.
Posted by: Tired of It on Nov 30, 2007 at 08:26 AM
A lot of you are getting off track with your comments...She is an ADULT who took a MINOR across the border into another country to most likely have a sexual relationship. Even if he is 15 instead of 13 he is still a MINOR and she is still an ADULT. ILLEGAL!! That's the whole point. Does it really matter that he is an illegal alien..no..she took him back home and I hope they keep him there. Not like the government does anything differently, they just deport them and they keep coming back so I wouldn't be surprised if he in back in the states within the next couple of months. Point is: Do the Crime..Do the Time. Cry me a frickin river all you want. She is an American citizen who knows the laws of this country and she broke several, knowingly. Feel sorry for her..@&*% No! She needs to sit in lock down for a while and think about what she did. Get her child back...she's dreaming. This is Nebraska where they will taking your children away if you look at them cross anymore. Grow Up Kelsey.
Posted by: Wow on Nov 30, 2007 at 03:29 AM
Let's look at the good here, folks. 1. We keep an illegal on his home turf. Stay in Mexico, kid. Don't come back. 2. James Rotten Davis gets his name known nationally as a high-profile Ambulance Chaser. Good for him!
Posted by: Chris on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:34 AM
WC: Good teachers are appreciated and become as much a part of our lives as family. While their value is quite possibly incalculable, to say they are the most underpaid members of our workforce might be vaguely insulting to the millions of workers who make less than the average teacher. When they chose this vocation, they understood that ,like police, they are given (before ever having a chance to earn it) a trust expected to be too sacred to be violated. Most excel at this, but when they purposely violate this they can also do incalculable harm. For those who would prey on our children, we were very much doing them a mistaken favor by giving them a job and they should very much be held to a higher standard.
Posted by: WC on Nov 29, 2007 at 09:41 PM
Vickie: I don't disagree with your sentiment regarding Ms. Peterson; she's a loon and/or a pervert and she should be put away. But before you go laying all that weight on the teachers (" . . . they should be given a higher punishment than the ordinary person.") like we are doing them a favor by letting them teach our children, let's think this through. Ms. Peterson is an exception, not the rule. The vast majority of teachers would never even conceive of doing what she did. On top of that, they are the most grossly under-paid and under-appreciated professionals in the workforce. Screen them -- yes; drug tests -- sure; pay them appropriately for the valuable service the perform -- WELL??!! (By the way, I am not a teacher nor am I employed in education.)
Posted by: thewb on Nov 29, 2007 at 09:29 PM
illegal boy on U.S soil, she brought him back to his own country--yeah--and we are putting her in jail, how, he is illegal and knows it and he is walking away--b.s. takes TWO to tango!!!
Posted by: sara on Nov 29, 2007 at 08:44 PM
If Peterson was a man, and he took off with a 13 or 16 year old girl there would be more public out cry. I don't care if this kid is 13 or 16. Taking anyone out of state under age 18 (doesn't matter if they went willingly or not)with the intent to engage in sex is the crime here. The point is he's still a kid. She was supposed to be the adult. And whether he was in this country legally or not has nothing to do with the crime. He was brought here by his parents when he was a toddler, he doesn't know Mexico and now he's stuck somewhere he doesn't speak the language. Ever since this story broke it's been full of double standards.
Posted by: matt on Nov 29, 2007 at 08:27 PM
maybe she was taking him home
Posted by: Todd on Nov 29, 2007 at 08:04 PM
Good luck James, you are not in local court anymore, so you can't BS your way out of this case. You are now running with the big dogs, Federal Court. Good luck trying to get a plea deal out of this one. She is guilty of all charges brought up against her, no matter how you try to spin it.
Posted by: BJ on Nov 29, 2007 at 07:46 PM
Robin!! are you kidding me? I gurantee you if this was your 13 year old son, brother, cousin, nephew, friend, friend of a friend,,etc...you would have your mug all over TV, demanding JUSTICE, so this wouldn't happen to no one else. Because this kid isn't here legally, he is still a human being. You changed the law if you don't like it. Whether he's 13 or 15, he's still a child. She's older, she's the adult. She commited a crime and that's all it is to it. Now she's crying about the custody of her child, a grown woman. Robin,stop being such a racist and accept the fact this lady messed up, besides, you might be an illegal alien yourself....I don't know you!!!
Posted by: missy on Nov 29, 2007 at 07:32 PM
if you have the guts to do the crime then i think you can handle being in the slammer for a while
Posted by: Vickie on Nov 29, 2007 at 06:13 PM
I wouldn't want her teaching my 13 year old grandson, anyone who makes the decision to have sex with a minor child, no matter how mature they may seem, has to stay in prison for the entire amount of time that is determined to be fit by a Judge. All teachers should be held to a higher law of conduct because they are dealing with other people's children, and when they fail to act properly then they should be given a higher punishment than the ordinary person. They make the decision to teach, why doesn't the government set a series of tests that are to be given to anyone who wants a career where children are involved, and drug testing should be mandatory with teachers, whouldn't you agree?
Posted by: Robin on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:59 PM
We dont even know if that kid is 13, he an illegal alien. Plus, he took off with her.
Posted by: Jeff on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:02 PM
Boo Hoo! Boo Hoo! Should of thought a little harder about it before running off and having sex with an illegal alien kid! No sympathany here. Keep her in jail.
Posted by: Paul on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:00 PM
Do the crime. Do the time. I feel no sympathy for this monster.
Posted by: Dave on Nov 29, 2007 at 04:45 PM
Stand by for the James Martin Davis insanity defense. He must have sensed the "the kid wasn't acting 13" defense wasm't working. Bottom line is this, the kid was victimized,the teacher has a mental health issue,and her lawyer is just in it for the press.
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