A former Florida nurse was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison after pleading no contest to a charge of lewd and lascivious battery for sexually assaulting her 15-year-old stepson, court records show.
Alexis Von Yates, 34, also was ordered to serve two years of community control, 10 years of sex-offender probation, complete 200 hours of community service and pay court costs and fines. She entered the plea last month after being originally charged with sexual battery on a person between the ages of 12 and 18.
The charge stems from an incident in July, according to an arrest affidavit and court filings. The case proceeded after the teenager told investigators in August that he had been staying in Florida over the summer to visit his father. He described to investigators that he and Von Yates had spent time vaping cannabis oil, playing video games and watching a movie before the sexual contact occurred.
The teenager told investigators that Von Yates made repeated sexual remarks in the days leading up to the encounter and that during the incident she told him she wished he were 18. He described oral sex and intercourse without a condom, and said Von Yates had made comments comparing his appearance to that of his father when the father was younger.
According to the affidavit, the boy’s father, who worked a late shift as a lineman, walked in on the encounter and the teenager ran to a bathroom. The teen later confronted Von Yates and called her a child predator, the affidavit said. The father initially questioned the boy and later submitted an anonymous tip to police in October, court documents indicate.
Prosecutors said several family members discouraged the teenager from speaking to police after the incident. A judge ordered the audio of the teenager’s statement withheld from the public; court filings show the teen has been receiving therapy.
At the sentencing hearing, the boy’s biological mother delivered a statement calling Von Yates an "incestuous pedophile" and saying the defendant had shown "absolutely no remorse or accountability" for her actions. She told the court she would continue to support her son and described the emotional toll the assault had taken on the family.
Von Yates arrived at the hearing wearing a high-neck black top and a full face of makeup. She remained largely stony-faced, declined to speak when asked if she wished to address the court and was led away in handcuffs to be fingerprinted after the sentence was imposed, according to court reporting.
Von Yates was arrested in November after investigators reviewed the victim’s statements and other evidence. Her nursing license was suspended following the arrest, state officials said.
Court documents show Von Yates had initially pleaded not guilty in December before accepting the plea agreement that produced the no-contest plea and the sentence imposed Tuesday. Under the terms of the plea, she faces the prison term followed by the community supervision and probation requirements.
The case drew attention in the community because of the family relationships involved and the allegations that relatives had tried to dissuade the teenager from reporting the assault. Prosecutors said the teen provided detailed descriptions of the encounter during the investigation, and the court placed restrictions on release of certain materials in order to protect the minor.
Records show the teen has been receiving counseling. The victim’s mother told the court she believed her son still had a future despite the trauma and said she would help him rebuild. Von Yates will remain in custody pending transfer to the Department of Corrections to begin serving her sentence.