A teenager who says he fathered his teacher’s child when he was 13 and she was 28 is standing by her, insisting he started the relationship. The teen, now 19, told DailyMail.com that Laura Caron, 34, should not be on trial and disagreed with people calling her a predator.
Caron, a former college basketball player and fifth-grade teacher, is facing up to 10 years in prison on charges related to her relationship with the boy, who had moved in with her when he was 11. Prosecutors say she took advantage of him for years before allegedly having his child in 2019. The relationship remained secret until the boy’s father saw a picture of Caron’s child and noticed the resemblance to his son.
Caron was arrested on January 15 and is awaiting trial on aggravated sexual assault charges. The case has shocked the school and local community. She did not comment when leaving a bail hearing on January 21 in Cape May, New Jersey. She appeared stressed but remained silent. She is due back in court on February 25.
The teen insists he was never manipulated and believes Caron should not be in jail. “I wasn’t manipulated. She never started anything. I did,” he said. “If it were up to me, she wouldn’t have been arrested.” He also denied claims that anything happened when he was 11, calling those allegations “crazy.”
Caron met the teen after teaching his older sister. His parents trusted Caron with their children, allowing them to stay at her home overnight. She helped them with schoolwork and took them to sports practice. The overnight stays became more frequent, and in 2019, she had a baby. No one suspected the teen could be the father. The truth came out in December when the boy’s father noticed the child’s resemblance and contacted authorities.
Caron’s bail conditions prevent her from contacting the teen or the child. “I can’t talk to them, and it’s really hard,” he said. He also finds it difficult to see Caron being labeled a predator. “The media is making things up,” he added, blaming his father for the situation. Caron’s lawyer claimed she was arrested before DNA results were confirmed and said tests could take months.