Victims Outraged by Early Release of Convicted Child Molester, Chico Unified Middle School Spanish Teacher, Jennifer Smith

CHICO, Calif., June 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mary Alexander, who has filed lawsuits against Chico Unified School District for the sexual abuse of two girls by a CUSD teacher, is alerting parents to this teacher's early release from prison.

Jennifer Lynn Smith, the disgraced former Bidwell Junior High School Spanish teacher, was arrested, charged and pled guilty to various counts of child sexual abuse. The convicted molester is getting out of jail on June 20, 2023. Smith was sentenced to just five years in jail and will now be released after serving less than three years in state prison.

"This is a disgrace," attorney Mary Alexander stated. "Her victims, my clients, are very upset and concerned about her living in Butte County again. This convicted child molester could be back on the same streets in Chico as those who survived years of abuse at her hands."

According to a lawsuit filed by Mary Alexander & Associates, Jane Doe was sexually assaulted, molested, and abused beginning around 2009 when Jane Doe, age 13, was an eighth-grade student in Smith's Spanish class at Bidwell Junior High School.  After Jane Doe confided in a school counselor and in Smith about the difficulties of her home life, Smith pretended to take an interest in her situation. Smith began "grooming" Jane Doe, including asking her to babysit, with the intent to manipulate Jane Doe's emotions so that she could ultimately sexually abuse her. Smith even used Jane Doe's difficult upbringing to her advantage by calling Jane Doe her "adopted daughter."

Prior to her abuse of Jane Doe, Smith sexually abused another student, Jane Doe 2. Smith's tactics included sexually assaulting her in Smith's classroom in a closet as well as when she had Jane Doe 2 babysit her children.

In addition to these victims, other students allege Smith's predatory behavior included taking girls into the bathroom and exposing herself to them. She's also accused of asking them to babysit and have sleepovers as a method of grooming and getting access to them.

"No one can feel safe with her in their neighborhood," Ms. Alexander added. "Her sentence was nowhere long enough for her crimes, now she's going to be out of prison after just a few years and my clients are angry and terrified."

The cases are Jane Doe v. Chico Unified School District, Case No. 21CV00762 and Jane Doe 2 v. Chico Unified School District, Case No. 22CV01014. To read the complaints, click here.

About Mary Alexander & Associates
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SOURCE Mary Alexander & Associates