A former Kings Canyon Unified School District teacher was sentenced to one year in the Fresno County jail for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy.
Krystal Marie Jackson, 44, pleaded no contest to one count of unlawful sex with a minor and one count of oral copulation of a person under 16.
Jackson was a high school teacher at Mountain View (Independent Study) School in Reedley when she was arrested in September 2021.
Jackson was facing five felony counts of sexual assault involving the minor student but agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors.
On Thursday, Judge Raj S. Badhesha sentenced Jackson to one year in the Fresno County jail, plus three years of formal probation. She must also register as a sex offender for 20 years and stay away from the victim for 10 years.
Prior to the plea, Jackson was facing a maximum sentence of 5 years and 8 months in state prison. The two counts she pleaded to carry a maximum exposure of 4 years and 8 months.
After the judge imposed her sentence, Jackson was taken into custody to begin serving her sentence.
Taylor Long, public information officer for the district attorney’s office, said several factors went into the sentencing, including the nature of the charges and Jackson’s lack of prior criminal history. “It’s also important to note that sentencing ultimately rests with the court. While probation was part of the negotiated resolution, the judge exercised their discretion to impose additional accountability by ordering one year in custody at the Fresno County Jail,” she said. Long said the office is satisfied with the outcome, adding that Jackson is being held accountable, she is prohibited from working with children, and received double the amount of time she has to register as a sex offender.
Fresno County Sheriff’s detectives revealed, at the time of her arrest, that Jackson and the boy met at the Dunlap Leadership Academy for an unspecified amount of time.
Detectives said it was at the academy where Jackson had several one-on-one meetings with the student and the sexual misconduct took place.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 4:38 PM.
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A Valley native, Robert has worked at The Fresno Bee since 1994, covering various topics including education, business, courts and agriculture.