GRETNA, La. (WGNO) – The status hearing Thursday for the Destrehan High School teacher accused of having group sex with another teacher and a 16-year-old student wasn’t very eventful.
The District Attorney’s Office still hasn’t filed any charges and another status hearing has been set up for April 30, 2015.
24-year-old Rachel Respess didn’t even appear in court. She doesn’t have to because she hasn’t been formally charged with anything.
But only WGNO’s cameras were rolling when her lawyer walked out of the courthouse, and what Jeffrey Smith had to say, shocked and confused. WGNO Anchor Jacki Jing spoke with Smith, first saying, “Your client is facing some serious accusations about group sex with a sixteen year old, what do you have to say to that?”
“She’s not guilty, because the law says in order to have sex with any one it has to be consensual,” Smith responded.
“Are you insinuating that she didn’t have sex with him?” Jing asked.
“I said that there was no consensual sex,” said Smith.
“Can you elaborate on that, what do you mean? ” said Jing.
“Read between the lines,” said Smith.
“Are you insinuating that she was raped or forced into something?” said Jing.
“We could go about this — but in order for a woman — thank God — in this day in age, to have sex with someone that’s perfectly legit, she has to know exactly that she’s consenting to and wants to have sex. As you know, we have cases all over the press now about young girls who don’t seem to realize what happened to them, that’s all I am saying,” said Smith.
Jing asked Smith to explain this reasoning further, but he said he could not make any more comments on an active investigation.
Smith did say he expects the District Attorney’s office to make a decision at that April 30, 2015 hearing, whether or not to file charges.
Shelley Dufresne, the other teacher allegedly involved in the group sex with the teen, has a hearing scheduled next week.