Justine Karen Nelson, 33, was found guilty of performing a sexual act on a 14-year-old boy by a jury in Fresno, California on Tuesday
A married former middle school teacher accused of performing oral sex on a minor has been convicted of inappropriate relations with a boy after he turned 14.
Justine Karen Nelson, 33, was found guilty on Tuesday by a Fresno, California jury of performing a sexual act on the boy, but she was acquitted of the more serious charge of committing a lewd or lascivious act with an eighth grader when he was 13.
The distinction is important because a conviction of the charge of committing a lewd act on a 13-year-old boy would have resulted in a longer prison sentence, according to KFSN-TV.
Nelson, who would have faced a possible sentence of eight years in prison if convicted on both counts, will now spend no more than three years behind bars.
She will still need to register as a sex offender.
Nelson took the witness stand on Wednesday to defend herself against felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor and oral copulation.
Nelson is seen above walking into court last week with her attorney, Roger Nuttall
She told the court what seemed an innocent friendship with a then-14-year-old student turned to threats and blackmail, and she performed the sex act out of fear of losing custody of her young child.
Nelson testified that her friendship with the student began with conversations about basketball in her classroom at Tenaya Middle School, before progressing to direct messages on Instagram and secretive text messages, the Fresno Bee reported.
The former teacher said that her marriage was on the rocks at the time, and admitted that she sought out the
