FORMER NORTHVIEW ACADEMY COACH JENNIFER BLANCHARD PLEADS GUILTY TO STATUTORY RAPE, SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS PROBATION

[Artaxerxes II]

https://hoodline.com/2024/12/former-nor ... probation/

Former Northview Academy golf coach Jennifer Paige Blanchard has entered a guilty plea to three counts of statutory rape, according to court documents. These charges arise from her tenure at the academy, spanning incidents between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. WATE reported Blanchard was sentenced to six years of supervised probation and is now indefinitely barred from roles in teaching or coaching children. She is also mandated to register as a sex offender for the term of her probation.

Upon her guilty plea, issued on December 2, the court ordered Blanchard to pay restitution to the victim and to cover the cost of the victim's therapy for two years, as highlighted in a report by WBIR. The sentencing comes after an investigation, initiated when allegations were brought forward to the Sevier County School System, which was swift to inform law enforcement in June 2023.

The Sevier County School System confirmed, with WIVK, that there were no prior complaints against Blanchard during her employment, which concluded with her resignation in June 2021. It was disclosed that Blanchard had also assumed responsibilities as a teacher in Sevierville Primary School and, subsequently, Seymour Primary School, while coaching golf at Northview Academy.

Further to her educational roles, Blanchard served as the Assistant Children's Director at the Concord United Methodist Church in Farragut. Following the revelation of charges, she was terminated from her position on November 1, according to church officials. Her probation is set to continue until December 1, 2030, throughout which she will be listed on the sex offender registry, a condition set forth by the Sevierville Police Department and the courts.