A Texas mom who was accused of sexually abusing her son's 13-year-old friend and smiled for her mugshot was sentenced to five years in prison.
Natalie Sorrells, 46, who worked as a youth ministry volunteer, was accused by the victim of repeatedly abusing him, including in her car at a football game, PEOPLE reported. In another instance, the victim said Sorrells abused him at a party she held for her son.
PEOPLE cited an arrest affidavit that accused her of having sexual contact with the boy starting in April 2023.
Rockwall County originally charged her with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child. Although Sorrells was found guilty of the indecency counts, she was acquitted of the sexual assault charges, Fox News 4 reported.
According to the station, the inappropriate contact came to light when the victim's mother found deleted text messages between the victim and Sorrells. The sentence also includes a $10,000 fine.
PEOPLE reported that the church where Sorrells volunteered, Lakepointe Church, released the following statement: "While it is our current understanding that no inappropriate activity occurred on church premises, at any church event, and that the minor involved was not under the direct leadership of the volunteer, out of an abundance of caution we immediately informed Lakepointe parents, restricted the volunteer from any access to minors at the church and removed her from her volunteer position."
Originally published on Lawyer Herald
