Lighthouse Preparatory Academy Volunteer Jennifer Cecil Pleads Not Guilty To Multiple Child Sex Crimes charges

Despite being charged with numerous child sex offenses, a volunteer at a private school in Jefferson City has been released on bond.

The charges against Jennifer Cecil, a 41-year-old woman, include sodomy, second-degree statutory rape, having sex with a student, and first-degree sexual abuse, according to 939 The Eagle. A bond hearing without an arraignment was held on Friday.

According to detectives, Cecil began the relationship while volunteering at Lighthouse Preparatory Academy.

The victim reportedly admitted to the detectives during an interview that he and Cecil communicated primarily through Instagram and that they frequently used vanish mode to ensure that their conversations were not recorded.

Additionally, he allegedly admitted to them that he and Cecil had traded explicit photos of sex while in vanish mode.

The victim’s parents allegedly told the detectives that when they confronted Cecil about the relationship, she admitted it.

Cecil appeared in court via video feed from the Cole County Jail and entered a not guilty plea. She was initially detained without bail, but at the bond hearing, it was increased to $15,000.

According to court records, she was released on bond with pretrial conditions and will be required to wear GPS monitoring.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Thursday, August 10th.