Groton mother sentenced for sex with her child’s teenage friend

The mother whose teenage son had a sexual relationship with his friend's mom told a New London judge Wednesday that a year in prison and no requirement to register as a sex offender was inadequate punishment for the woman who took her son's childhood.

Dawn M. Kerr, 35, formerly of Groton, had pleaded guilty to risk of injury to a minor in July and turned herself in to begin serving her one-year prison term at the Janet S. York Correctional Institution in Niantic.

The victim's mother delivered an angry impact statement, sometimes directed at Kerr, when speaking at the sentencing before Superior Court Judge Hillary B. Strackbein.

The mother said she thought she was doing the right thing by leaving her son with Kerr while she worked. But then, she said, Kerr “brainwashed” her son into thinking Kerr was the savior and she, herself, was a bad parent. The boy was 14 at the time.

The mother said she and her son need counseling and Kerr should be responsible for the bill.

“How do I fix this for my child, to make him understand this was something so sick and perverted?” the mother said.

Kerr had pleaded guilty to risk of injury to a minor, a felony offense, in a deal worked out between Senior Assistant State's Attorney Theresa Anne Ferryman and defense attorney Paul F. Chinigo.

The judge sentenced her to seven years in prison, suspended after one year served, followed by five years of probation. Kerr is not required to register as a sexual offender upon her release from prison, but must undergo sex offender evaluation and treatment.

Judge Strackbein recommended Kerr also take a parenting class, since she had exhibited a lack of maturity. The judge signed a protective order prohibiting Kerr for life from contact with the victim.

“You made such a bad decision here,” Strackbein said. “You're supposed to be the adult. People think this is not a big deal, but it is.”

According to court documents and testimony, the victim's mother told Groton Town police in August 2016 that she suspected her son was involved in a sexual relationship with Kerr. The mother said she had allowed the teen to stay at Kerr's house while she was working, but that he started smoking marijuana, sneaking out of home at night and getting into trouble.

The mother said her son began asking constantly to be picked up by Kerr, who on one occasion retrieved him from a family vacation in upstate New York for a shopping trip to Kittery, Maine, with Kerr and her children.

When police confronted her with the texts about her relationship with the victim, she began to cry and admitted to having sex with him.

She said she knew it was wrong but was going through a divorce and liked the attention the victim gave her, according to police.

The teen told police he and Kerr had sex at least three times and would Snap Chat each other about sex but refused to give further details, according to the affidavit.

Though the relationship appeared consensual, it is illegal for an adult to have sex with somebody under 16, which is the age of consent in Connecticut.

Ferryman, the state's attorney, said a trial might have been difficult since the teen, who would have had to testify, has had some misunderstanding about being a victim.

Chinigo, the defense lawyer, said Kerr had never been in trouble and now stands convicted as a felon. He said she has no excuse for her behavior. Kerr spoke only briefly. “This will never happen again,” she said.