Charges Dropped/Dismissed Leah Gayle Shipman, Wilmington, North Carolina (arrested Jan 2010)

>>> Charges dropped after she married the student <<<​

I changed the thread label from "Guilty" to "Charges Dropped" because her guilty plea for "resisting a public officer" (aka resisting arrest in most jurisdictions) had nothing to do with the statutory rape charges. There has been no adjudication on those statutory rape charges, and there probably never will be.
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Leah Gayle Shipman (8764 Windingwood Trail , Leland, North Carolina), 42, teacher at Brunswick County Academy, Brunswick County Schools, Wilmington, North Carolina, "charged with having sex with a student"

Note that although several current articles refer to her arrest in January, 2009, it appears that she was in fact arrested in January, 2010. The next three posts are contemporaneous news reports of her arrest.

I usually try to present articles in chronological order, but the Daily Mail's bullets summarize this case rather well ...

UK Daily Mail: Ditch and hitch! Teacher who had sex with 15-year-old student avoids prison by leaving long-time husband and MARRYING the victim (Jan 20 2013)

• Johnnie Ray Ison, now 19, cannot be compelled to render testimony against his new spouse
• All statements Ison made to police are now inadmissible at trial
• Leah Gayle Shipman wed teen only six days after divorcing husband of 19 years
• Ex-teacher walks with 30-day suspended sentence

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WWAY TV 3: Brunswick Co. teacher charged with sex with student (Jan 7 2010)

The Brunswick County Sheriff's Office arrested a teacher at Brunswick County Academy for sex crimes against a student. Leah Gayle Shipman, 39, of Leland is charged with sexual offense with a student, statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with a student. Investigators say the victim was 15 years old at the time of the crime. ​

 

WECT: Brunswick teacher charged with sex acts with a child (Jan 7 2010)

According to Lt. Marty Folding, 39-year-old Leah Shipman from Leland was charged with two counts of sexual acts by a teacher, two counts of indecent liberties with a child and one count of statutory rape. Authorities say the victim was 15 years old at the time of the incidents, some of which date back to April 2009. Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram said the school acted fast in contacting authorities. "It was a very quick response from the school system," said Ingram. "As soon as they were made aware of this situation they notified us immediately and worked with us very closely in this matter to bring this to an end fairly quickly."​

 

Star News Online: Brunswick County teacher charged with sex with student (Jan 7 2010)

A Brunswick County teacher at a school for at-risk students is facing several charges related to sexual acts with a student at the school. Leah Gayle Shipman, 39, of 8764 Windingwood Trail in Leland, was charged Wednesday night with sexual offense with a student, statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with a student ...​

 

Star News Online: Teacher charged with having sex with student marries him, preventing his testimony (Jan 18 2013)

A former Brunswick County teacher charged with having sex with a student pleaded guilty last month to a lesser charge after she married the victim, preventing the state from compelling him to testify against her, a prosecutor said this week. Leah Gayle Shipman, 42, pleaded guilty Dec. 20 to misdemeanor resisting a public officer.​

 

WNCT: NC teacher marries student, undercutting sex case (Jan 19 2013)

Court records show Shipman divorced her husband of 19 years last year and six days later married 17-year-old student Johnnie Ray Ison. His mother signed documents allowing him to marry while a minor. The marriage prevented prosecutors from compelling Ison to testify against Shipman. A spouse can't be forced to testify against the defendant in most criminal cases.​

WCNC: Brunswick Co. teacher marries student, undercutting sex case (Jan 19 2013)

Rocky Mount Telegram: N.C. teacher marries student, undercutting sex case (Jan 19 2013)

 

New York Daily Mail: North Carolina teacher who had sex with student, 15, escapes jail by MARRYING him: Leah Gayle Shipman, who was facing 15 years behind bars, divorced her husband of 19 years to wed Johnnie Ray Ison (Jan 20 2013)

A teacher who had sex with her 15-year-old student has avoided going to prison by marrying the boy. Leah Gayle Shipman, 42, married Johnnie Ray Ison two years after she was arrested for having sex with him aged just 15 at Wilmington High School in North Carolina. That means the authorities can't make Ison, who is now 19, give evidence against Shipman, The Wilmington Star-News reports. This is because under North Carolina law a defendant's spouse cannot be made to testify in criminal cases. Brunswick County Assistant District Attorney Gina Essey reportedly said: 'None of the statements made in this case would be admissible without the victim. The defendant has a Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses against them.' Simpson was facing 15 years for statutory rape at the time of the wedding, which came just six days after she divorced her husband of 19 years.​

 

WIS TV: 42 year old former teacher marries 17 year old student (Jan 20 2013)

A former Brunswick County teacher charged with having sex with a student won't face trial after marrying the victim. Leah Shipman, 42 years old was arrested in 2009 on charges of sexual offense with a student, statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with a student. But, court records show Shipman divorced her husband of 19 years last year and six days later married 17-year-old student Johnnie Ison. The student's mother signed documents allowing him to marry while a minor. The marriage prevents prosecutors from having Ison to testify against Shipman.​

 

WSOC TV: NC teacher marries 17-year-old student she had relations with (Jan 20 2013)

Court records show Leah Shipman divorced her husband of 19 years and then married the 17-year-old student ... Back in 2009, Shipman was arrested on several charges, including sexual offense with a student and statutory rape, but now that the two are married the student can't be forced to testify against her.​

 

Inquisitr: Teacher Marries Former Student To Avoid Jail For Rape Charges (Jan 20 2013)

A South Carolina teacher who had sex with her 15-year-old student has married him to avoid going to prison for rape charges. The teacher, Leah Gayle Shipman, 42, married now 17-year-old Johnnie Ray Ison two years after she was arrested for having sex with him ... She married her 17-year-old student just six days after the divorce was finalized. Ison’s mother signed the documents allowing him to marry while still a minor.​

 

WTKR: N.C. teacher charged with having sex with student marries victim (Jan 20 2013)

A North Carolina teacher accused of having sex with a 15-year-old student has avoided going to prison by marrying the boy. The Wilmington Star-News reported that 42-year-old Leah Gayle Shipman married Johnnie Ray Ison, now 19, two years after being arrested for inappropriate relations with him at a Wilmington high school. A defendant’s spouse cannot be made to testify in criminal cases under North Carolina law.​

 

Daily Advance: Former Brunswick County teacher marries student, undercutting sex case (Jan 20 2013)

A former Brunswick County teacher charged with having sex with a student won't face trial after marrying the victim. Leah Gayle Shipman, 42, pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of resisting a public officer ... The marriage prevented prosecutors from compelling Ison to testify against Shipman. A spouse can't be forced to testify against the defendant in most criminal cases.​

 

WPXI: NC teacher marries 17-year-old student she had relations with (Jan 21 2013)

A former Brunswick County teacher accused of having sex with a student will not face trial after marrying him. Court records show Leah Shipman divorced her husband of 19 years and then married the 17-year-old student ... now that the two are married the student can't be forced to testify against her.​

 

CBS News: Leah Gayle Shipman, teacher accused of sex with student, won't face trial after she married alleged victim (Jan 21 2013)

The StarNews of Wilmington reports 42-year-old Leah Gayle Shipman pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of resisting a public officer. Court records show Shipman divorced her husband of 19 years last year and six days later married 17-year-old student Johnnie Ray Ison. His mother signed documents allowing him to marry while a minor. The marriage prevented prosecutors from compelling Ison to testify against Shipman. Under North Carolina law, a spouse can't be forced to testify against the defendant in most criminal cases.​

 

Examiner: Teacher Leah Gayle Shipman marries minor she had sex with, escapes jail sentence (Jan 21 2013)

Leah Gayle Shipman, 42, had sex with her 15-year-old student at Wilmington High School in North Carolina and was facing 15 years in prison for statutory rape. So in order to escape that potential prison sentence, Shipman married the victim, Johnnie Ray Ison, two years after she was arrested. This means authorities no longer have a strong case against her since they cannot force Ison, now 19, to testify against his wife ...​

 

MSN New Zealand: Teacher marries student to avoid jail for underage sex (Jan 21 2013)

[Leah] Shipman was facing 15 years in jail for alleged statutory rape after being arrested in 2009 for having sex with Mr Ison, who was a 15-year-old high school student at the time ... But a court learned last month the couple had since married, preventing authorities from forcing him to testify.​

 

Arizona Daily Star: Teacher marries student, undercutting sex case (Jan 21 2013)

A former Brunswick County teacher charged with having sex with a student won't face trial after marrying the victim. The StarNews of Wilmington reports 42-year-old Leah Gayle Shipman pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of resisting a public officer ... The marriage prevented prosecutors from compelling Ison to testify against Shipman. A spouse can't be forced to testify against the defendant in most criminal cases.​

 

Huffington Post: Leah Shipman, Ex-Teacher, Marries North Carolina Student She Was Accused Of Having Sex With (Jan 21 2013)

A disgraced ex-high school teacher quietly married the underage student she allegedly had an affair with in North Carolina. Perhaps the best wedding gift she received was from prosecutors who dropped their case against the newlywed. Leah Gayle Shipman, 42, faced several charges, including statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with a student , from her 2009 arrest, that led to her ouster from Brunswick County Academy, according to WECT. But the case dissolved, because she married Johnnie Ison in 2011, according to WBTV. Under North Carolina law, a husband doesn't have to testify against his wife, WGN said. Without Ison's sworn testimony, the prosecution doesn't have a case.​

 

Twirlit: Teacher Marries Former Student to Avoid Jail for Statutory Rape (Jan 21 2013)

High school teacher Leah Gayle Shipman was arrested in January 2009 for sleeping with one of her students, 15-year-old Johnny Ray Ison.
Charged with statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with a student, the 42-year-old was facing 15 years in the slammer, the Daily Mail reports.
But due to a slippery legal maneuver, Shipman won’t be doing any time. Two years after her arrest, Shipman and Ison quietly married in a ceremony that came just six days after Shipman officially divorced her husband of 19 years. Because Ison is only 17, his mother had to give her permission for him to wed – which she did. How allowing her son to marry his rapist could seem like a good idea to any mother, I have no idea. In North Carolina, spouses can’t be compelled to testify against each other except under a few very specific circumstances. Because Ison’s testimony made up almost the entire case against his now-wife, police dropped the charges (with the exception of a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, for which they didn’t require Ison’s testimony).

 

UPI: Teacher Who Faced Statutory Rape Charges for Sleeping with Student Fends Off Trial by Marrying Him (Jan 21 2013)

Prosecutors in North Carolina say they made a plea deal with a teacher charged with having sex with a student after learning she had married him. Former Brunswick County Academy teacher Leah Gayle Shipman, 42, pleaded guilty Dec. 20 to misdemeanor resisting a public officer, the Wilmington Star-News reported Friday ... While Ison had divulged he had sex with the teacher when he was 15, Brunswick County prosecutor Gina Essey said Shipman was offered the plea because his statements were inadmissible in court if he didn't testify, and under state law a person cannot be made to testify against a spouse.​