A high school counselor and volleyball coach from North Carolina has been sentenced to a maximum of 40 years in prison after she confessed to sexually abusing a teenage student. The student had initially sought her help for anxiety, according to authorities.

Jessica Patrick Finley entered a guilty plea on Thursday to a range of serious charges involving a minor. These charges include six counts of statutory sex offense with a child, eight counts of indecent liberties with a child, engaging in a sex act with a student, and offenses involving a child under the age of 15, as reported by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI).

Employed at McDowell High School, Finley was alleged to have groomed a 14-year-old student during the 2023–24 school year. Investigators revealed that what started as inappropriate communications eventually led to sexual encounters.

The incidents of abuse reportedly occurred in part within Finley’s school office, a place where the student had originally turned for counseling support.

In a poignant moment during the victim impact statements, the teen’s sister referred to Finley as “a predator… lurking behind the walls of the counseling office, waiting for a victim,” according to a report by McDowell News.

During victim impact statements, the teen’s sister described Finley as “a predator… lurking behind the walls of the counseling office, waiting for a victim,” McDowell News reported.

“We would have beat the door hinges off that building to save her from that monster,” the girl’s mother said.

Court documents obtained by local station WLOS reportedly showed the relationship included explicit text messages discussing sexual encounters and future acts, with prosecutors saying many of the encounters occurred after the victim turned 15.

Authorities said the abuse involving Jessica Patrick Finley occurred while she worked at McDowell High School in North Carolina. (Google Maps)

Finley also told the student she planned to leave her husband and children to be with her, according to court filings.

The relationship came to light after the teen’s parents discovered the messages and reported them to authorities, prompting Finley’s resignation from McDowell County Schools in February 2024.

The NCSBI launched an investigation at the request of the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, ultimately charging Finley with numerous sex crimes.

Former McDowell High School counselor Jessica Patrick Finley pleaded guilty in court to multiple felony sex offenses involving a minor. (iStock)

Finley initially declined a plea agreement in April 2025 and attempted to have her bond reduced, which was denied.

She ultimately pleaded guilty to all charges in superior court on Thursday.

“I would just like to say I am so sorry for my actions and the things I have caused, for the pain I have caused,” Finley reportedly said in court.

She was sentenced to a minimum of 28 years and four months and a maximum of 40 years and six months in prison.