A former Valley Mills High School math teacher and coach who admitted to having sex with two 16-year-old boys will serve no prison time, after a McLennan County judge signed off on a plea deal that spares her a felony conviction. Shelby Dawn LaShombe, 25, was placed on six years of deferred probation, ordered to spend four weekends in jail, and assigned 60 days on a county prisoner work detail outside custody.
Plea Deal Ends Case Without Felony Conviction
19th State District Court Judge Thomas West approved the agreement between LaShombe and the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office, which had recommended the deferred probation term along with a $1,000 fine, according to KWTX. LaShombe pleaded guilty in April to two counts of improper relationship between educator and student, a second-degree felony that can carry up to 20 years in prison. As part of the deal, prosecutors dismissed two counts of sexual assault of a child. Because the sentence is deferred rather than a formal conviction, LaShombe can avoid becoming a felon so long as she complies with her probation terms.
Assistant District Attorney Will Hix said the outcome reflected the wishes of the family most affected by the case. “Justice was served,” Hix said, adding that prosecutors listened closely to the victim and the victim’s family before agreeing to the terms, per the station’s report. LaShombe’s attorney, Cody Cleveland, said his client and her legal team were satisfied with the ruling, telling the outlet that LaShombe would not be a convicted felon under the deferred probation arrangement and that she did not use her authority as a teacher to coerce anyone into nonconsensual acts.
Arrest Documents Detail Encounters With Two Teens
According to arrest documents cited by the same report, LaShombe was seen kissing a 16-year-old boy and later had sexual intercourse with him; the boy confirmed the two had sex on more than one occasion. The boy told investigators that LaShombe knew he was under the legal age of consent. LaShombe told the detective they had been seeing each other for about six months. She also admitted to having sex with another boy younger than 17. Neither teen was one of her own students — one attended West High School and the other attended Axtell High School — but Texas Penal Code § 21.12 makes sexual contact between a school employee and any enrolled student a second-degree felony regardless of whether the student is in that employee’s own classroom, according to Andrew Deegan Attorney At Law. The 2003 statute extends to any student in the same district or participating in school-sponsored activities.
LaShombe was a teacher and girls’ coach in Valley Mills ISD when she was arrested. She resigned from the district and later surrendered her teacher certification; she now works at a Waco furniture retailer.
A Trail of Districts Before the Arrest
LaShombe’s path to Valley Mills ISD ran through two other Central Texas districts, and it began with a report that went nowhere for months. West ISD Superintendent David Truitt confirmed she was placed on administrative leave from West High School on Dec. 20, 2023, and that the district reported her for misconduct to the Texas Education Agency on Jan. 31, 2024, according to Texas Scorecard. State records show the agency logged that report the following day, Feb. 1, 2024, but never opened a formal investigation before LaShombe went on to teach in two more districts.
Midway ISD confirmed she worked as a math teacher and coach at Midway Middle School during the 2024–25 school year before joining Valley Mills ISD in July 2025. Valley Mills ISD Superintendent Chris Dowdy said LaShombe resigned on Sept. 3, 2025, and was arrested two days later, on Sept. 5, 2025, following a McLennan County Sheriff’s Office investigation that began with a tip received the previous month.
Family Members Describe Lasting Fallout
Testimony at the hearing painted starkly different pictures of how the encounters affected the two teenagers involved. One boy’s father said his son was not traumatized by what happened, was thriving, and did not consider LaShombe a sexual predator. The other boy’s mother offered a different account, saying her son suffers from depression and anxiety, withdrew from her and other family members, wanted to change schools, stopped attending Catholic Mass, and skipped his high school prom.
Gabrielle White, who evaluated LaShombe, diagnosed her with adjustment disorders, anxiety and depression, and said LaShombe developed PTSD symptoms during the eight hours she spent in jail. White also said LaShombe has shown incredible growth over the past year, and LaShombe has committed to continuing weekly counseling sessions.
Texas Education Agency Launches Misconduct Dashboard
In June 2026, the Texas Education Agency launched a public Educator Misconduct Dashboard and Student Protection Resource Center intended to increase transparency around statewide complaints, agency investigations, and State Board for Educator Certification actions, according to the Texas Education Agency. The dashboard provides public information about educator misconduct complaints statewide.
A conviction under § 21.12 triggers sex-offender registration; the period and conditions depend on the underlying conduct and any other charges, according to McConathy Law.
