A former Derry Borough woman was sentenced Tuesday to serve at least a year in prison for having sexual relations with a teenage boy.
Kristen Locher, 34, now of Cambria County, pleaded guilty last summer to felony counts of statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and a weapons offense. Prosecutors said the charges stemmed from an ongoing intimate relationship with a teenage boy.
According to court records, Locher had sexual relations with the teen at least 17 times over three weeks in early 2022.
In a related case, police said Locher gave the teen her gun. The boy’s mother told police she found the weapon in her son’s fanny pack after seeing a text message about the firearm on his phone.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Stewart II ordered Locher, who has been free on unsecured bond, to serve one to two years in state prison followed by three years of probation.
Locher is scheduled to begin her sentence April 6, a concession the judge said will allow her to arrange care for her children. Locher had requested a probation sentence, telling the judge she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
In addition to caring for her children, Locher said she works as a home health care provider and runs a volunteer shelter in her home for as many as 60 cats.