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Sam Penrod reportingA Nephi woman will spend the next nine months in jail for having sexual relations with at least eight teenage boys.
The sex may have been consensual, but the woman was more than 20 years older than the boys she chose to become involved with on numerous occasions.
Prosecutors asked for up to five years in prison, but the judge ruled some jail time and treatment would best resolve this case.
It brings to an end the legal aspect of a crime that has had tragic consequences for many families, including the defendant's own family.
Leisa Ward, a 38-year-old mother, was led out of the courtroom and taken to jail to serve one year behind bars for having sex with eight teenage boys in Juab County who were all 16 or 17 years old.
Prosecutor AnnMarie Howard said, "There are eight victims. It particularly went on through the months of August through November of 2007.
Some of the boys now consider themselves victims, while others apparently do not.
A mother of one of the victims told the judge her son's innocence was taken away by Ward. "It's been particularly difficult for parents of the victims. I think the community at large is well aware of who the victims are, and I'm hopeful this will put an end to some of that, so the victims can continue to progress and move forward from this," Howard said.
Prosecutors asked that Ward serve time in prison on the 11 counts of unlawful sex she pleaded guilty to.
The judge expressed concern that there is no sex offender treatment for women in prison and sentenced Ward to a year in jail with credit for the three months she has already been in custody. Howard said, "The prison sentence is hanging over her head, and if she continues not to accept responsibility and to not follow through with her treatment, then she can expect that consequence."
Many of the sexual encounters were the result of cell phone calls and text messages exchanged between Ward and the teenage victims. Howard had advice for parents. She said, "Make sure you are talking to your teenagers, make sure you know where they are and what they are doing, and you go over the rules with them, the rules you have in your home about personal behavior and about trusting adults."
When Leisa Ward is released from jail, she will not be allowed to have any unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 years old, except for her own children.
She will also be prohibited from using a cell phone during her three years of probation.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
