Case of Houston mom accused in underage affair dropped
HOUSTON
Charges against Lauri Price, 43, were dropped after
investigators determined they would not be able to show Price knew
the teenager was underage, said Donna Hawkins, a spokeswoman for
the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
The teenager had told Price he was 20 years old, Hawkins said.
"Throughout the search of (Price's) e-mails and her online
history with the (teenager), the investigation was never able to
determine the defendant knew he was a minor," she said.
Prosecutors also decided to drop the charges because the teen's
parents weren't willing to let him testify and there were some
jurisdictional issues related to the age of consent, Hawkins said.
Price wasn't charged in Canada because the age of consent there
is 16. In Texas, it is 17.
Skip Cornelius, Price's attorney, said his client is relieved
the case is over.
"But I don't know how much happiness there will be in this,"
he said. "This was a serious ordeal for her. She's got to try to
put her life back together now."
Cornelius said his client, who always thought the teen was 20
years old, never should have been charged because she committed no
crime.
The three charges Price faced -- two counts of online
solicitation of a minor and one count of enticing a child with the
intent to commit a felony -- were dismissed earlier this week. Her
trial was to begin Friday.
If convicted, Price had faced two to 10 years in prison and a
fine of up to $10,000 for each charge.
Authorities had accused Price of starting an online sexual
relationship with the boy, then 15 years old, in September 2008
after meeting him on the Internet video game "World of Warcraft."
Price went to the teenager's home in Barrie, Ontario, in
February 2009 but failed to lure him away, police said.
The online relationship continued. Price returned to Canada on
Dec. 29, took the teen to a hotel in a nearby city and had sex with
him, authorities said. Price was arrested Jan. 5 after returning to
the U.S.
Price, who has four children, had worked as a permanent
substitute teacher with the Cypress-Fairbanks school district in
suburban Houston. Prosecutors said Price was fired from her job
after her arrest.