Sub teacher sentencing points to larger issues

The sentencing of a former Terrebonne Parish substitute teacher in connection with the molestation of three underage boys to probation following her guilty plea raised eyebrows and concerns throughout the Bayou Region.

Some child advocates say double societal standards contribute to leniency in the criminal justice system for adult women who sexually molest boys. But prosecutors and other attorneys in Terrebonne Parish maintain that there is no such pattern here, and that sentencing deviations can indeed vary based on specifics of each case and the willingness of victims or their parents to fully cooperate.

Heidi Verret, now 34, was arrested in 2016 by Houma police, after they received a complaint concerning her behavior with the boys at her east Houma residence. Detectives determined that none of the boys, who were 15 and 16 at the time of the offenses, was a student of the substitute teacher.

Upon her arrest, Verret was charged with three counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

Last month State District Judge Johnny Walker accepted her guilty plea to three misdemeanor counts of carnal knowledge with a juvenile and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. In addition to the accusations that she had sex with three boys in her home, Verret was also accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a 13-year-old. Per a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, her misdemeanor pleas drew a sentence of six months that was suspended, two years of unsupervised probation and a $900 fine.

Assistant District Attorney Dennis Elfert, who handled the case, told reporters after the sentencing that the victims and their families were assured that Verret would not be permitted to teach again. Although not registered as a sex offender, Elfert said, any background check done on her would result in a potential employer learning of the convictions, which would immediately disqualify her from any teaching position.

Sentences such as these are troublesome in the eyes of some child advocates, who say that too often women who are accused of sex with underage boys get a pass, and are not treated the same as male perpetrators who molest either boys or girls.

David Finkelhore, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, was among several child advocates asked about the differentials between outcomes in molestation cases. While he was not familiar with Verret’s case, he said that it reflects outcomes he has seen in other places.

However, Finkelhore also said that the phenomenon is less prevalent now than in the past.

“There is a double standard,” Finkelhore said. “It has been declining and the fact that we even see these cases in the justice system is a sign of that. They used to be dismissed not investigated. In part this is a reflection of an increasing influx of women into the criminal justice profession, police, prosecutors and judges. There is a recognition that we can’t be gender biased in the way we approach these cases. Even if we think the impacts on victims might be different, we have these statutory crimes for a reason. Adults are especially to protect kids, their responsibility is to be mentors and guides, not to use these kids to gratify their own sexual needs.”

A double standard that may exist, Finkelhore said, may not be in the justice system itself but in the minds of some parents, as well as male victims. Therapists refer to the “lucky boy” syndrome, the idea long held in our culture that the “teacher’s pet” is somehow fortunate. The effects of powerless that might be felt with a male perpetrator or by a female victim can be very real, experts said.

Kristen Sukura, Executive Director of the Sexual Violence Center in Minneapolis, which supports survivors and works to help end sexual violence, agrees that it’s dangerous to make light of the experiences of male victims.

“When we treat certain acts of sexual violence as less serious than others – or something worth joking about – we are reinforcing the often-crippling shame suffered by victims of sexual violence who are not female-identified,” Sukura said. “Because then what we are telling each other, and young people, is that a ‘victim’ looks a certain way or acts a certain way, and anyone not fitting that mold couldn’t possibly be a victim. Therefore, what happened to them could not possibly be considered sexual violence.”

Criminal justice system practitioners in Terrebonne and surrounding communities say that they don’t really see a double standard here.

Assistant District Attorney Bernadette Pickett, director of the Terrebonne Parish Children’s Advocacy Center, is among them.

“If something comes in at our center and a crime has been committed we are going to do the same thing,” Pickett said. “A law has been broken. We offer counseling and do everything we can to get that child prepared. By the time it gets to us it has usually gone to a police officer, who determines probable cause to make an arrest and to make sure there is enough evidence to prove the crime. Parents whose child has been victimized want justice and also want to make sure their child gets the help they need. Often they will say they don’t want this to happen to other children because nothing was done to the perpetrator.”

Law enforcement officials acknowledge that the case against Verret had several problems that would have made a conviction difficult if they could get to trial.

One of the victims is currently jailed on a felony charge. Another, whose interactions with Verret may have been the most flagrant, chose not to speak with investigators. A third victim had some issues that could have been utilized by the defense to weaken the case.

Without physical evidence like DNA, victim cooperation, and an ability to present him properly in court, prosecutors can have a hard time convincing jurors that a conviction is warranted, seasoned prosecutors said. Prosecutors in Houma with direct knowledge of the case said that after discussing the plea potential all appeared to be onboard. The biggest concerns expressed were whether Verret would be able to teach again.

Prosecutors also said that in their opinion the willingness of victims to approve the plea deal was not gender based. Rather, the suggestion was that the victims, who are no longer juveniles, had concerns about being identified as victims.

“I have talked to enough 15, 16 and 17-year-old boys and girls that really want to resolve a case to where to where there is an admission but not to have to bare their soul publicly,” one prosecutor said, noting that in the case of younger children nowhere near that degree of discretion is employed.

Assistant District Attorney Carlos Lazarus said that he does not see a difference between male and female prosecutions.

“In each case individually victim input is paramount,” Lazarus said. “When I screen cases, if I look at one and decide to take a certain course of action I call law enforcement and explain the reasons why, and listen to any objections they may have in that situation.” •