Teacher Who Drunkenly Had Sex With Students And Claimed She Didn't Remember It Avoids Jail Time

A Texas teacher who drunkenly had sex with two students and then claimed to authorities that she didn’t remember either incident managed to avoid jail time as part of a plea deal.

Lynn Anne Burge, 33, pleaded guilty last week to two counts of improper relationship between a teacher and a student and was sentenced to five years of deferred adjudication probation for each count, which will run concurrently, according to The Gainesville Daily Register.

Under the plea deal, Burge — who authorities say had sex with a 16-year-old student at her home after a drunken night exploring rural backroads — will not be required to register as a sex offender but will have to surrender her teaching license.

Burge was arrested in October 2018 after an anonymous tip was made to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services the month before, The Gainesville Daily Register reported shortly after the arrest.

During their investigation, authorities spoke with a 16-year-old Cooke County resident who had been a student of Burge’s during the 2017-2018 school year.

Lynn Anne Burge Photo: Cooke County Sheriff's Office

He told authorities the pair began exchanging messages on Snapchat in the fall of 2017, including naked photos, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the local paper.

The teen told authorities that one night he and Burge had driven around together backroading while drinking. The night soon turned physical with Burge kissing and touching the teen, he said.  

They decided to go back to her home where he told law enforcement authorities they made out in the kitchen and later had sex. He then told investigators he “fell asleep in Burge’s kid’s bedroom before she woke him up and asked him to get in bed with her.”

Her children were not at home at the time.

Months later, in March 2018, Burge reportedly had sex with another student, who was an adult at the time of their encounter. She allegedly had sex with him on her birthday at her sister’s home after another night of heavy drinking, she would later tell authorities.

When Texas Ranger Bruce Sherman approached Burge — who had taught intro to culinary arts, child development, and principles of human services at Muenster High School — to discuss the allegations against her, she claimed she had been highly intoxicated both nights and did not remember having sex with either student.

She told Sherman she remembered going backroading with the 16-year-old student but did not remember anything else until she woke up with him in her bed the following day and wasn’t sure if they had sex together.

“I don’t know. I hope not. I don’t know,” she said, according to the arrest warrant. “I didn’t think it did because my clothes were on. Usually if that happens your clothes aren’t on. I don’t know, I don’t know, I can’t remember anything.”

Burge — who was married with two children at the time of her arrest — resigned from her position with the school district just days before she was taken into custody, local station KXII-TV reports.

Burge was initially indicted on the two second-degree felony charges of improper relationship between a teacher and student and a third-degree felony charge of online solicitation of a minor.

The solicitation charge was later dropped as part of the plea agreement.

Her attorney Rick Hagen told the local paper after the agreement was reached that Burge was “incredibly remorseful” and “ashamed.”

Hagen said alcohol had played a role in both incidents.

“While it was an issue, it was not an excuse,” he said. “Lynn has not had a drop of alcohol since she was accused. She is committed to AA and has been to a counselor on a regular basis.”

Cooke County District Attorney John Warren told the paper in a statement he had agreed to the deal after “consulting with the families of the victims and receiving their input.”

“The victims in this case will now be able to begin to put this behind them and move on with their lives,” he said.