Judge Sentences Former Shelby County Teacher

July 27, 2016 - The long awaited case against Jenny Rhodes Cassell has come to a conclusion as the former Center ISD teacher was sentenced on Wednesday, July 27, 2016.

Cassell stood before Judge Charles "Brick" Dickerson, 123rd Judicial District Judge, at 4:42pm to receive sentencing. A plea agreement between the state, represented by Assistant District Attorney Stephen Shires, and Lisa G. Flournoy, representing Cassell, was approved by Judge Dickerson and he covered elements of the agreement with Cassell.

The sentencing was set for 11am with a lineup of witnesses waiting to testify; however, due to delays sentencing was rescheduled to begin at 1:30pm. Open court did not in fact begin until 4:42pm after arrangements had been made within the judge's chambers over the previous four hours.

As per the agreement, starting ten days from the sentencing date, Cassell is sentenced to six months in the Shelby County Jail with the exception of a holiday furlough on Thanksgiving and Christmas should she elect to take that time. She also has been sentenced to four years deferred probation following her six month stay in jail and 40 hours of community service. She is to pay restitution to the Shelby County Children's Advocacy Center and pay court costs.

A hearing was held in Dickerson's courtroom on June 30, 2016 during which Cassell entered a plea of no contest to the charge of improper relationship between educator and student. Judge Dickerson clarified for Cassell that even though she entered a plea of no contest it is the equivalent of a guilty plea. At that time the state decided not to pursue the charge of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and a sentencing date was set for July 27.

Following the sentencing Wednesday, Shires was available for comment on the case.

"My job as the prosecutor is to see that justice gets done in a case," said Shires.

He thanked the jurors involved in the Johanna Vickers trial earlier this year for their work as, according to Shires, the outcome from that trial reflects on the Cassell case.

"We very much used and referenced what happened in [the Vickers] case to reach the outcome in this case. Of course these two cases were very similar in many ways, they also were extremely different in other ways," said Shires.

Shires explained a serious difference is Vickers had the sexual assault of a child charge, which Cassell did not share as the individual involved in her case was of legal age.

"The legislature created this law, inappropriate relationship between educator and student, to address this sort of situation," said Shires.

Although it's clear Shires feels a conviction was a necessary end to the case, he was not without understanding for the former teacher.

"This is a situation where obviously we have a teacher who I believe was well liked and well respected on the staff and by the students who obviously was going through a very difficult time, and she made a mistake," said Shires.

Shires explained the Shelby County jurors have sent a message the charges are being taken seriously and that carried forward in the judge's decision.

"So, I had to balance those factors with the idea that there had to be some punitive measure in this case to go along with the probation, because just like I asked the jury in the Vickers case, we have to demonstrate that in Shelby County this sort of conduct is taken seriously," said Shires.

Justice being the goal, Shires feels that objective has been reached in the finale of this case.

"You're not just going to get probation, you're not going to just get a slap on the wrist, instead we added something in this which I think accomplishes justice. We cut a woman who made a mistake a break, yet at the same time we send a message, because six months flat time means it's day for day. No good conduct time, no two for one, nothing like that," said Shires.

Related story:
Center ISD Teacher Arrested for Relationship with Student