Ex-Carson High teacher gets prison for sex with student

Former Carson High School teacher Jennifer Dalton, 36, was sentenced to up to 30 months in prison for having sex with a then-17-year-old male student.

On Aug. 20, Dalton pleaded no contest to having a sexual relationship with a then-17-year-old male student. She pleaded to one count of sexual conduct between an employee of a school and a pupil, a category C felony. She was sentenced Tuesday in Carson City District Court, according to the Carson City District Attorney’s Office.

A co-teacher caught Dalton hugging and kissing the student in 2011, police reports state.

At sentencing, the defense argued that Dalton should receive probation because of her lack of criminal history. The defense also argued that the conduct was less criminal because it happened on school grounds and not in hotels. The defense acknowledged Dalton made some bad choices but argued that she already had lost her job and reputation; that her actions strained her relationship with her husband and family; and that prison could not punish her more than she has already been punished.

The judge, citing Dalton’s position of authority as a teacher, sentenced her to a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 30 months in state prison.

“Far too often, the victim is forgotten in these types of cases. The impact this had on him and his family is unfair and should have never occurred. The defendant received what she deserved for violating his trust and Carson City’s trust as a teacher,” District Attorney Neil A. Rombardo said in a statement.