The woman who was found guilty of sexual assault after having sex with her best friend’s teenage son has been sentenced to serve five years probation.
Karen Lee Carstens, 43, was convicted of sexual assault of a child. A jury made the ruling Wednesday and the sentence was handed down Thursday morning.
The teen boy said the relationship began with his mother’s friend when he was only 13 years old and ended when he was 15. He said it began as touching, then progressed to sex, according to documents.
The boy described a couple of the encounters to investigators, particularly those which happened over a three-month period when his mother was in and out of the hospital due to a gallbladder infection.
He said on May 15, 2009, he and Carstens were lying on a sofa bed and watching television when they started to have sex. He said he cried after it was over, fearing that he had gotten her pregnant, but she reassured him that all would be well.
Another time when his mom was in the hospital, around June 15 the same year, he and Carstens allegedly had sex in his upstairs bedroom.
Carstens moved out of the state shortly after that encounter, ending their relationship. She told the boy to keep their relationship a secret because she would “get in trouble,” investigators said.
Authorities investigated and found enough evidence to file charges against Carstens. Her bail was set at $30,000.
The case finally went to trial on April 24, 2014 and closing arguments were wrapped up on April 30.
“I feel like she deserved everything that she got so we’ll leave it at that,” said the victim, now 19 years old.
