The abuse happened inside the guidance counselor's office. That is where Jessica Patrick Finley, a counselor and volleyball coach at McDowell High School in North Carolina, performed sexual acts on a 14-year-old student on multiple occasions, according to investigators. The same office where students were meant to feel safe.

Finley pleaded guilty to 16 felony counts, including six counts of statutory sex offense with a child, eight counts of indecent liberties with a child, a sex act with a student, and offenses involving a child under the age of 15. She was sentenced to a minimum of 28 years and four months and a maximum of 40 years and six months in prison. She is required to pay a $30,000 fine and will be registered as a sex offender upon release.

How It Started

Finley had worked within McDowell County Schools since 2017, starting as a part-time receptionist and instructional assistant before being promoted to a full-time coordinator role and eventually to guidance counselor in 2021. She also served as the school's head volleyball coach for eight seasons.

During the 2023 to 2024 school year, Finley began grooming the student, initiating what investigators described as inappropriate communications that escalated into sexual encounters. She and the student exchanged explicit text messages and discussed future meetings. At one point, Finley told the student she was prepared to leave her husband and children to be with her.

The case broke open when the victim's parents discovered the messages in early 2024. Given that Finley's father had been a deputy with the McDowell County Sheriff's Office and her mother had worked with McDowell CrimeStoppers, the local sheriff's office handed the investigation to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to avoid any conflict of interest.

What the Victim Said in Court

The student, now 17, testified during sentencing that she felt unable to leave the relationship because Finley repeatedly threatened to harm herself if contact ended. In her own words: "I was seeking help during a time when I felt alone, and she took advantage of that."

Her older sister also addressed the court directly. "A predator was lurking behind the walls of the counseling office, waiting for a victim," she said, adding that not a day passes without her family wondering what they could have done to protect her sister from what happened.

The Sentence

At the time of sentencing, Finley had already served 778 days in jail awaiting the resolution of her case. That time will be credited toward her sentence. She will not be eligible for release until she has served at least 28 years and four months, at which point she will face a maximum term of 40 years and six months if parole conditions are not met.

The conviction followed a guilty plea entered in April 2026 before a McDowell County court. Finley's sentence was handed down the same day.