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A Utah County school teacher has been charged with rape and other crimes for allegedly having sex and providing alcohol to a 17-year-old student.
Sarah Lindsay Lewis, 27, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with the first-degree felony rape count, along with third-degree felony tampering with a witness and two counts of misdemeanor furnishing alcohol to a minor.
If convicted of the rape charge, Lewis could face a maximum penalty of up to life in prison.
Prosecutors allege that because the alleged victim is under the age of 18 and Lewis "occupied a position of special trust" as his teacher, the teen boy could not legally consent to any sexual contact.
Lewis, a social studies and dance teacher at Landmark High School in Spanish Fork, met the teenager in 2015 when he was a student in one of her classes, according to charging documents. She also taught him in 2016.
The teen told police that he had intercourse with Lewis in early January, according to court records. He said he met Lewis at her Payson home, where she provided him with Hypnotik vodka. They began making out, he told police, and they eventually had sex in her bedroom.
The teen also showed police a cell phone recording of them making out before they had sex, according to charging documents.
"Lewis told the victim that if someone asks about their relationship, that he is supposed to deny it and it will eventually go away," prosecutors wrote in charging papers.
Lewis is also accused of buying the boy beer from a convenience store on a separate occasion.
The woman was arrested Jan. 24 and is being held in the Utah County jail in lieu of $5,000 cash-only bail. She is expected in court again on Feb. 6.
Nebo School District spokeswoman Lana Hiskey said Lewis was put on leave immediately after school officials were notified of her arrest.