'Monster' North Carolina guidance counsellor sentenced for sexually abusing teen
· Toronto Sun
A North Carolina high school guidance counsellor and volleyball coach who pleaded guilty to sex crimes involving a female student was sentenced to more than 28 years in prison last Thursday
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North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said authorities began an investigation into allegations involving Jessica Finley in February 2024 after the parents of the then 14-year-old student discovered text messages between their daughter and Finley and showed them to officials at McDowell County High School.
The investigation revealed that Finley had inappropriate communications with the student, which led to her resignation from McDowell County Schools later that month, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said in a Facebook post .
A tearful Finley sobbed in court at her sentencing, apologizing for the “pain” she caused to her young victim, McDowell News reported.
Teen’s sister brands counsellor as ‘predator’
In victim impact statements read in court, the teen girl’s sister reportedly called Finley a “predator … lurking behind the walls of the counselling office, waiting for a victim.”
The girl’s mother also reportedly said in court: “We would have beat the door hinges off that building to save her from that monster.”
The relationship between Finley and the teen girl began after the student went to the guidance counsellor for help with anxiety.
“I was seeking help during a time when I felt alone and she took advantage of that,” the teen told the court, per McDowell News .
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Conversations revealed in court documents
Search warrants by authorities revealed that Finley and the student engaged in a series of sexual conversations through text messages, WLOS reported.
The two “discussed details of their sexual encounters, as well as acts they wanted to perform on each other in the future,” according to court documents seen by the outlet
Finley also told the teen she was “leaving her husband and children to be with (Minor Child 1),” the court documents reportedly said.
The documents also stated that the student told investigators that Finley performed sexual acts on her in her office.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said Finley had declined a plea deal last year. “A subsequent request for a reduced bond was denied in August 2025,” it said.
She pleaded guilty to 16 child sex charges on April 16 and was sentenced to a minimum of 28 years and four months in prison and a maximum of 40 years and six months.