The trial of a former Caddo Parish fencing coach and physical education instructor ended Thursday, June 27, 2019, with a guilty verdict rendered by a jury in Caddo District Court.
Sharron Settlemire, 72, was found guilty of attempted molestation of a juvenile by the three-man, three-woman jury in District Judge Ramona Emanuel’s courtroom. The jury deliberated two-and-a-half hours.
Settlemire, who last taught at Caddo Magnet High and joined Caddo Parish Schools in 1975, was arrested in 2017 and charged with molestation of the victim, who was 16 at the time of the offense. The victim is now 33, according to published reports. Settlemire retired in 2002.
Assistant District Attorney Joshua Williams prosecuted for the state, with assistance from other attorneys in the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s office Section 4. Settlemire was defended by Alan Golden.
Both the defendant and the victim had large groups of supporters in the gallery, and bailiffs had to escort Settlemire supporters out of the courtroom immediately after the verdict due to inappropriate comments directed at the victim’s family.
Settlemire’s next court date was set for July 3, 2019. When sentenced, she faces up to 7-1/2 years at hard labor and will have to register as a sex offender.